Minecraft: The Island of Minos
by TrueBobJoe
Summary: Join Simon and his allies on a quest to break the curse of a tragic island.
1. SS Agek

Chapter 1

S.S Agek

"Lucy, will you _please _pass me the punch?" asked Simon impatiently.

"Don't be so petty, Simon." replied the girl called Lucy, handing Simon the container. Their hands touched briefly, then Simon snatched the container.

Simon had dirty blonde hair and a rather athletic build. His blue shirt seemed to reflect the sunlight, and he was lying on his sweatpants.

Lucy, however, had black hair, and she was wearing a jean-patterned jacket, and was wearing khaki shorts.

"Just give it to me the first time I ask…"

Simon and Lucy were both eighteen on a summer cruise ship called the S.S Agek. Simon's birthday had been three days ago. They were sitting together on the front deck of the boat, eating lunch.

"How many islands d'you reckon we've passed, Simon? This cruise has been on seas for four days!" exclaimed Lucy. The same thought seemed to have occurred to Simon. How far _were_ they from Delaware?

"One, two…seventy-four," estimated Simon. Lucy giggled. She got in to a small fit of laughter. Simon bit into his sandwich, then stared. Lucy slowed her laughter, then said quickly,

"Look behind you." Simon turned. He saw a young boy, probably of eight or nine, was mocking everything he did.

"Really?" asked Simon. "Not that amusing." Lucy blushed. She sat still for a moment, then said,

"It's nearly tomorrow." Simon gazed at her.

"It's only 2:30."

"We'll be crossing the International Date Line soon." Lucy added.

"Ah," he said stupidly. Simon got to his feet, then said,

"Well, I'll go take a nap, then." Lucy called out as he walked away,

"Sweet dreams!" Simon walked down the slick hallway to his room. He flung the door open, collapsed on the bed and fell asleep without even taking his shoes off.

He dreamed a strange dream. Simon dreamed that he and Lucy were on a strange island, with some other young man and woman. Simon asked Lucy if she would dance with him. Lucy responded by kicking him in the shins, blowing raspberries at him and said,

"_Why? James already asked me! He also made me these!_" Lucy began tossing jewelry, shirts and pants at him. Simon tried to argue that he didn't know who or where James was. The other girl came up and told Simon,

"She's right, you know. Maybe you should give her your TV and bedroom." Simon then tried to explain that he didn't have his own TV, and he didn't have a bedroom on this island…

Simon woke with a start. He had a sharp pain in his head. He had fallen off of his bed, against the wall. Simon shakily stood up, He had broken out in a cold sweat, and he felt awfully feverish. Simon stubbed his toe on something as he stumbled toward the door. Simon became aware that he was walking on the wall of his bedroom.

"Whoa," he stammered. What was happening? Was he still dreaming? No, he couldn't be.

The ship jerked violently, and Simon was thrown to the wall. There was a shattering of glass, a human scream, and he jumped to his feet. The ship was tipping. Simon's first thought was to get to Lucy. He ambled across the wall, pried open his door and climbed through it. Simon broke into a run as he scrambled down the hallway before gravity turned against him. He had reached the deck. The wind screamed around him.

"_Simon!"_ cried a voice. Simon turned to the tipping of the boat. He slipped on some water that had begun precipitating moments ago. Simon grabbed a floorboard to keep from slipping. Then he saw Lucy, clutching the edge of the ship. He wanted to help, but he couldn't…

"Simon, look out!" screamed Lucy, and again Simon turned. A wall of salt water stung his eyes, and knocked him off of the floorboards he was desperately holding onto. Simon tumbled backwards off of the soaked deck, rolling all the way down, and he could feel his own consciousness fading—

Then Lucy was there.

"Simon…" she said. Simon saw a frothy wave the size of the boat rising over them.

"Lucy…"

Simon grabbed Lucy's hand, because it was the last thing he would ever feel…

Simon and Lucy felt the water wave break over themselves, salt water filling their mouths, and everything was gone.


	2. Sasha and the Island of Minos

Chapter 2

Sasha and the Island of Minos

This is _really_ gritty water, thought Simon. He opened his eyes, but closed them as they stung. Simon waved his arms to wade to the surface, but there was no water to swim through. He could breathe. Simon forced his head up. Trees of all different kinds lined the horizon. He had been laying face down on a sandy shore. There were no signs of life. The passengers were all surely dead… Lucy. Simon's eyes burned with tears.

"No," he steadied himself. "Weeping won't bring them back."

Simon stood. He sprinted off the shore and snapped a foot long branch off of a large redwood tree. He continued to collect small twigs until he decided he had enough to do a bit of weaving. With some newfound skill of weaving, Simon was able to patch sticks together so that they formed the relative shape of the head of an axe. It looked as if it would break as easily as Simon's arm if he tried to cut a tree down with it. Simon attached more and more sticks and stuck them to his woven creation. He took some extra twigs and morphed them until they could pass as wooden construction nails and attached the foot long stick to the head of the axe. Simon had a new tool to assist him now. He wiped the sweat off of his brow, realizing what he must do next.

_CLUNK. _A dent an inch deep appeared in the elder tree nearest Simon.

_CLUNK._ Half an inch this time, and Simon's axe was already dulling.

_CLUNK. _Still deeper Simon's axe penetrated the tree, sapping much strength and endurance from him.

_CLUNK. _The tree was now half cut, but the axe was getting ever less sharp.

It seemed to go on forever. Finally, the tree began to topple. Simon dove away from the tree to avoid any injuries. In spite of his precautious actions, a lengthy branch cut Simon deep. Swearing quietly, Simon whittled at the fallen tree to make it more refined and more usable. Simon saw a large mountain with a massive overhanging bridge, seemingly, connecting it to another mountain. Simon quickly decided that should he shelter somewhere, it should be adjacent to the overhang. He stuck his index finger into his mouth, and then pulled it out.

"An eastern wind," Simon told himself. Simon then cut the fallen tree into friendly pieces, and then began to stack them in a small, two by two pattern, leaving four feet of space for Simon to move in the small shelter he planned to build.

It was sunset, and it was beginning to freeze. Simon's teeth chattered. He knew he would die if he stayed out all night. Yet he had no roof for his "house." Simon took his wooden axe and swung at another tree, again and again, until –

_CRACK._ Simon pulled the stick out of the tree, but nothing else. The axe's head had severed itself completely from the handle. Simon groaned, then reattached it with new wooden nails, then swung until his hands were going to blister, and he felt the cold numbness biting deeper and deeper into his skin.

The sun had fallen, and so had large chunks of flint from the mountain, which struck Simon's head. They triggered a thought process in his head. After nailing down his roof with dead fingers, Simon carefully gathered flint and sticks he had left over. Simon rubbed them together rapidly, the stick hitting his null hands, greatly magnifying the pain. Through gritted teeth, Simon gasped audibly as smoke finally rose from the stick's tip.

Simon haphazardly tossed stones on the ground to form a ring. He threw sticks down, and then placed the smoking twig under the pile. After many silent minutes, there was a massive chain reaction, and all of the branches were engulfed in the scarlet fire.

It was pitch black now, and all that Simon could see was the bright, dancing flames he had produced. Simon pulled two sticks from the ground along with some refined planks of wood. He shaped the wood with his pocketknife and stabbed nails through the fat sticks.

The wooden sword he just crafted seemed so poorly made that it could just as easily resist fire as it could actually hurt anything. Simon laid the tools down on the ground resentfully, and then headed to retire to his small cabin.

Simon hadn't expected for the ground to seemingly move under his feet. There was a horrifying yell of a man, and Simon was thrown to the ground. He scrambled to his feet then reached for something to defend himself with. Simon found himself gripping his wooden axe defensively, spinning on the spot. There was a soft moan, and Simon spun again to see the most terrifying thing he could imagine.

There was a man, but he didn't seem… human. He was dark green and frothing at the mouth. Simon was stunned at first, and then was petrified with fear as he realized the creature was a zombie. With its green arms outstretched, its deep, endless black eyes and its torn jeans, Simon was very intimidated.

Unsure as to what he could do, Simon began backing away slowly. As if Simon were his only target, the zombie started following in his footsteps. The zombie made a strange and audible click, and then he heard some vibrating string noise. The campfire roared and sparked. Simon stepped around the fire cautiously before glancing into it. An arrow blazed and blackened in it, although Simon had no recollection of placing it there in during this dreadfully difficult day. The same two noises repeated, and arrows grazed his face and sides. The ugly zombie continued to advance on Simon, so Simon turned and began to flee. It was finally apparent then that the arrows were not at the zombie's command, rather something just as, if not more, horrifying.

Solely bone, a sickly gray skeleton was clasping a bow, shooting the arrows…

Simon gripped the axe he had only just remembered weakly, and then heaved it with all of his might at the reanimated bones. The weak axe spun as it soared from Simon's hands to the middle of the skeleton's head and shoulders. There was a sickening crunch as the axe cut through the skeleton's pale neck bone. The severed, useless head fell to the ground and rolled to Simon's feet. He stared at it, and it seemed to stare back. The skeleton's body crumpled, then Simon felt something tackle him to the ground. Someone - or something – had caught him off guard. Still pinned down, Simon flipped over to see what it was.

The horrific zombie's features were thrown into greater relief as Simon saw when they were nose to nose. Simon yelled as the acrid stench of blood flooded his nostrils, and the undead man was getting closer to his neck, and his strength was too much… someone was screaming again, a woman this time, and it sounded like the last Simon would ever hear would be an anonymous woman screaming in his ear…

There was blood all down Simon's shirt. The zombie had bitten him, surely? The zombie was instead lying across Simon's middle. There was a dull clunk; a sharp pain in his forehead, and a low moan escaped Simon as everything went dark.

Simon awoke lying across warm grass, and a cool breeze blew over him. The perfect conditions made him unable to _think _about moving. He became conscious that someone had taken his shirt. Convinced of his total solitude, however, this did not concern him, though it did slightly intrigue him.

"You're awake," a soft voice emanated from nowhere. Simon sat up and looked for the person who had spoken. His eyes fell upon a beautiful woman.

Besides her strands of dirty blonde hair that reached down to her shoulders, she wore a dimpled smile that showed nothing but happiness. He blue eyes shone in the perfectly angled sun that seemed to bounce off of her tan skin.

"Erm…" Her beauty stunned Simon. He wondered what he could've said.

"I'm sorry about that." said the woman. Simon's eyes feasted upon her, but he couldn't tell what his own face expression was at the moment.

"What's your name?" Simon blurted out.

"Sasha," she replied coolly. "And yours?" Simon hesitated, then said,

"Simon," he paused. "Simon Heim." He smiled. Sasha smiled back, and then tossed his pale blue t-shirt at him. Simon looked at it blankly, and then remembered that Sasha was looking at his bare chest. He hastily shoved the shirt over his head. There were no more bloodstains from the zombie, so he assumed Sasha must have washed it. _The zombie…_

"Hey!" exclaimed Simon. "What happened last night, with the monsters?"

"Nothing," replied Sasha casually. "You've been out for two days."

"What?" Simon yelled. He paused, calming himself down. "Then… what happened that night? I should have died!"

"Well, I take it that you're not upset." Sasha said. She reached into the pocket of her blue jeans and pulled out a pocketknife. Simon raised his hands defensively.

"No!" He began backing away. Sasha laughed and pocketed the blade.

"I was just kidding," she said. Simon frowned.

"Why didn't you just leave me for dead?"

"Because I thought I knew you!" Sasha belted unexpectedly. Simon gazed at her again. Through numb lips, he asked,

"Why?" Sasha herself hesitated.

"You just… looked familiar." Then Simon had a thought that struck him like a mallet.

"I – I've seen you before, too!" Simon thought way back to the S.S Agek, before the massive storm had hit. The dream, _the dream…_

She was the woman who had said to give Lucy his bedroom and TV in the awfully obscure dream. They were on the small island they dreamed of, surely, but there was still someone missing from the dream. Lucy had called him –

"James!" cried out Simon. "Where is he?" Sasha looked slightly abashed.

"Dead," she said softly. "Killed, by monsters."

"Oh," Simon interjected awkwardly. "I'm so sorry…" They stared at each other. Finally, Simon broke the mourning silence by saying,

"Where exactly _are _we?"

"This?" replied Sasha. "This is the Island of Minos. It is a cursed island."

"Funnily enough," said Simon. "I've figured that out for myself." Sasha laughed, and Simon laughed with her.

"Come with me, I've got a place here, I've been stranded here for two years. I've built a stronghold –" Sasha started.

"_Two years?_" Simon burst out.

"Yes, two years," Sasha said matter-of-factly. "In this time I've built a stronghold, as I was saying, would you care to come with me?"

"Of course!" replied Simon happily.

"This way."

Sasha led him to another oddly formed mountain, and Simon saw a professional-looking door. Sasha flung open the door.

"Here we are!"


	3. Jaded

Chapter 3

Jaded

Simon was aghast. This was much, _much, _more than a stronghold. It was a home.

"There's only three floors, the fourth is still under construction, there's –" said Sasha, counting off her fingers. She turned to Simon. "Are you okay?" Simon's mouth hung open, too awestruck to speak.

The unrefined log floor led up to the wooden walls that went up seven feet, all the way to the four feet of space in the concave, smooth stone ceiling. There were two chairs, both made of the wool of a lamb, and there were two flights of stairs, both with clean railings. There was a picture frame that hung over a fireplace, safely sealed by glass.

"This is merely my common room," said Sasha. "Will you come with me to the kitchens?"

"Yes." Simon responded immediately, nodding quickly. They walked down the stairs into a stone floor made of multiple slabs. There were two tables made of wood, with four chairs surrounding both. There was a small counter, and a few strange looking ovens. Simon wondered how they worked, but decided not to ask. There was still another downward staircase. Simon began to approach it, but Sasha grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

"We'll save that for later," she said. "Follow me." Sasha then led him all the way upstairs, past the fabulous common room, into a room with multiple holes in the floor.

"Don't fall in," advised Sasha. Simon smiled.

There were many large chests, all at least two feet long, and a couple of tables to make tools upon with greater ease. There were another row of the strange ovens.

"I can help you finish this." Simon said without thinking. Sasha raised her eyebrows.

"Really?"

"Yes." Simon thrust open one of the chests. He withdrew refined wooden planks and nails and began to connect them. Sasha joined him.

"Thanks for the help, this really means a lot to me," said Sasha as Simon's face reddened.

"You could live with me, if you'd like."

"OUCH!" yelled Simon. He accidentally had slammed a nail into his finger in surprise of the offer.

"Are you alright, Simon?" called Sasha from across the room.

"Yeah," Simon pulled out the bloody nail and stuck it into the ground. "I'm fine," he said, sucking his ring finger.

"Are you serious about that?" Simon answered with a question. "Could I really stay here?"

"Of course, as long as you work with me and do your share," Sasha placed another nail. "You'll have to make your own bedroom, too," she added.

"Thanks!" exclaimed Simon.

"As you'll be staying here," started Sasha, "we'd best get to know each other." she told Simon.

"Fair enough."

And for half and hour, Simon and Sasha interacted and learned about each other's interests. Simon learned Sasha liked nature, animals, mountain climbing and fishing. Sasha learned that Simon, too, liked fishing. Simon told her that he also liked sports, particularly basketball, and he liked swimming and socializing.

"Being stranded on an island for two years, you don't get much of that. Swimming, basketball, and most of all socializing." said Sasha jealously.

Finally, the floor of the room was finished. Simon and Sasha high fived each other, and then departed to the common room. They peered out of the window together. The sun was setting, and there was something moving along the horizon. Simon could only make out that it was pink. Sasha, however, had a much more attuned sense of nature, and called out,

"Dinner!" She turned to Simon. "I'll be right back." Simon watched as she disappeared up the stairs to the now finished room. She came down two minutes later wielding a sword of iron. Sasha flung open the door and raced outside. Simon saw her behead the creature with a spurt of scarlet and a flash of silver, and then she began cutting pieces of if carefully.

Moments later, Sasha was running through the door with her arms filled with slimy slabs. She dashed down to the kitchen, not saying a word to Simon. Simon glanced out the windows one last time to see it was pitch black outside. He heard a moaning sound before turning and hastening to join Sasha.

"Simon, what time is it?" asked Sasha as soon as she heard Simon's arrival.

"It's completely night," replied Simon breathlessly.

"Oh, damn, I need to close the door!" yelled Sasha, throwing down a slab of meat. She ran down another flight of stairs, and Simon heard the slamming of metal and a click.

Sasha walked back up the stairs panting. She took the slimy objects and put them in the oven.

"What was that creature?" inquired Simon.

"Just an ordinary farm pig," replied Sasha. "I named it Dinner."

"How do those ovens work without electricity?"

"They're called furnaces," Sasha continued. "and they work with coal." Simon nodded. Suddenly, he noticed the entire house had been lit up with glass-covered torches. Sasha was gazing into the furnace. Without warning, she jerked it open and withdrew the pig meat. She pulled plates from a chest Simon hadn't noticed. As he looked inside the chest, he saw many plates of iron stacked up, all nice and neatly. Sasha placed the dishes on the table and pulled a chair up. She pulled another slab of meat from the furnace and placed it on the second plate. While she was doing this, Simon just stared. When Sasha sat down, she made a gesture with her ands towards the other chair. Simon saw her roll her eyes, and she said,

"Sit down. Are you going to eat?"

"Oh! Yeah…" said Simon stupidly. He pulled up a chair to the table, where he and Sasha ate pig meat. Simon wedged the whole thing into his mouth. Realizing that he couldn't eat it all at once, he spit it out. Sasha recoiled.

"Cut it up, stupid…" Simon laughed, and Sasha couldn't help but smile. They had a very odd conversation over dinner.

"Why are the days here so short on Minos?" Simon asked.

"I myself have no idea. My personal belief is that this island is positioned across the International Date Line, so the day is roughly six hours, as is night." replied Sasha.

"Why's this island cursed anyway, Sasha? Who cursed it?" said Simon curiously.

"An evil man called Samuel Riddle. I…" Sasha hesitated. "I once knew him. I do not wish to discuss the matter any further." Simon completely believed that she was being serious, so he asked a different question.

"What was it that you wanted to show me downstairs? You shut it off just moments ago!" Sasha smiled.

"I'll show you tomorrow. I'd rather you _not _go down there at night." she said. Not once had Simon looked away from Sasha's attractive face the whole conversation. Simon continued to fire questions at Sasha about the island for the entire meal.

"What kinds of animals live here?"

"Fish, sheep, pigs, chicken, squids, cow and wolves."

"What kinds of plants are found here?"

"Roses, buttercups, elder trees, birch trees, redwood trees, wheat and sugarcane."

"Are the seasons normal?"

"Yes."

"What's downstairs?"

"Nice try!"

Simon paused awkwardly.

"What kinds of monsters live here?"

"Well, you've encountered skeletons and zombies, correct?" asked Sasha. Simon nodded slowly.

"There are two feet tall spiders, though I haven't seen on in sometime. Then there's the dreaded creeper. They explode when you don't kill them off from the proper distance." explained Sasha.

"Okay…" Simon stared. "How did you get the materials to survive this island, and keep on adding to t?"

"Well, firstly, there's the outside of course, for dirt and wood and the sort… then there's downstairs." Sasha smiled mischievously. Simon frowned. Then he plucked up courage enough to ask,

"What was James like?" Simon thought he saw a slight glare in Sasha's eyes. Maybe they were filled with tears. Either way, she was feeling some sort of powerful emotion.

"He was kind, funny, understanding, sympathetic…" And the list of positive words never seemed to end, "…weird, modest, noble, likable…" Sasha finished. Simon stood up, having heard enough to understand that Sasha had been in love with him. Sasha shook her head disdainfully.

"Well, erm…" Simon said with unexplainable guilt. "I'll go to bed, then."

"Sleep in James's room," said Sasha quietly. "It's straight upstairs, ahead of the main entrance." Simon walked up the stairs and took a left. He pulled the door open, took his socks and shoes off and lay on the bed.

He hadn't _tried _to upset Sasha, he was just curious. Simon wondered if he had done something wrong by asking. Unable to think anymore, Simon pulled the covers over himself and fell asleep.

Simon awoke in the abnormally comfortable and warm bed and had completely forgotten about Sasha's feelings for James. He sat up, feeling completely refreshed and ready to help Sasha with whatever she desired to accomplish today. Simon hastened himself out of bed and got dressed.

Once ready, Simon entered the common room, where he saw Sasha sipping on what he assumed was tea, warming up by the blazing fireplace. Simon decided it would be friendly to accompany her. Sitting in the chair adjacent to Sasha's, Simon started,

"What are we going to –?"

"We're going to go to the bottom floor, remember?" Sasha cut across him. Simon though he saw her smile slightly, and began to roar in triumph inside.

Simon followed Sasha to the kitchen, where he declined her offer for tea.

"More for me, then." Sasha said happily. After eating more porkchops for breakfast to sustain themselves, Sasha excused herself to the top floor, and returned with two pickaxes and something else under her arms. Handing Simon a stone pickaxe, she pulled iron swords from under her arms.

"We'll both be needing these," Sasha informed Simon. "I'm serious." she added as Simon rolled his eyes. Simon personally believed that it was a bit much to lug around, but he went with it nevertheless.

"Are you ready?" Simon nodded.

"Let's go." Sasha walked down the descending staircase in the kitchen, and Sasha insisted that she was much more familiar with the downstairs room. Simon plainly agreed, and Sasha went down first. Simon, however, still did not quite understand why it was so important to 'be familiar' with the level, but didn't mind much. There was a quiet click, and Sasha whispered,

"Come with me, stay close." Simon descended down the staircase as an unnatural chill washed over him. What Simon saw made him suddenly understand.

Seemingly hundreds of sections branched out of what he recognizing as a naturally formed cave.

"Sasha," Simon started bluntly, "may I ask why you have a cave –" There was a bloodcurdling shriek that Simon related with Sasha's voice. The sound bounced off the walls and made it difficult to decipher where it had come from. Finally deciding that it had come from the op left tunnel, Simon blindly began sprinting down the cave. He was gaining speed rapidly, but the cave was endless…

_THUD. _Simon landed hard on the ground as he tripped; stumbling downward, then cut his face on a rock. He pushed himself to his feet. He had to make sure that Sasha was not –no, he could permit that idea to form in his mind…

Nothing mattered anymore, not when Sasha was in danger, he wouldn't lose Sasha as he had Lucy, not when he could save her…

Then he saw Sasha, and she was being overpowered by something large and green.

"Sasha, run!" Sasha did not hesitate. Simon foolishly dashed up to the zombie and he threw aside his pickaxe, feeling much more nimble and agile with only the sword's weight to bear. Simon swung strongly at the zombie and he felt the blade connect with the monster's throat. The zombie's head flew high across the ceiling of the cave. Only after he had beheaded the "zombie" had he realized it was not what he thought it was.

The strange creature had a cubed shaped head, and it was lying across the cave floor. Simon could barely see its features in the total darkness. He could just make out two black eyes and a mouth curved down into a frown. He could tell it wasn't a spider, skeleton or zombie, so it had to be a creeper. What had Sasha said creepers did?

Simon was suddenly launched off his feet as a deafening roar shook the cave. The cave roof collided with Simon's head; Simon fell to the ground with a loud thud. Feeling dizzy, Simon remembered Sasha's words as his back burned in agony.

_"They explode when you don't kill them off from a proper distance…"_

_ Proper distance…_

Simon turned around and saw four more creepers staring back at him. They began to advance.

"No!" cried Simon. He jumped to his feet and started running the other way as to examine them from a safe distance, the to wipe them off.

Once a considerable range away, Simon looked at the creepers, and saw the same frowning, cube head, a rectangular prism for an abdomen, and –four feet?

Surely enough, the creeper _did _have four feet. Simon noticed they were getting a bit to close for his own comfort. There was a sudden emphasis on the scorch marks the explosion had left, and then Simon lunged at the creeper crowd.

He managed to sever the head of one creeper, run two through and cut the legs off another. When all of the creepers were finished, lying dead on the cold stone floor, thoughts flew in and out of Simon's head, until one stayed firm in his mind.

"Sasha!" He ran down the cave after retrieving his pickaxe, searching frantically for Sasha.

"Oomph!"

Stars winked in front of Simon's eyes as he collided with something moving. _Not a creeper… _he told himself. _Not a creeper…_

Thankfully for him, it wasn't a creeper, or any sort of monster. It was Sasha.

"Simon, you idiot…" she moaned. She was hiding something. It was moving and making noises.

"Sasha, _what is –?_"

"Never mind that, we need to get out of here!"

"But –"

Before even Sasha could interrupt, there were repeated and distressed hissing noises.

"They're coming!" shouted Sasha. "Simon, hold them off!"

"Wha –what's down there?" Simon asked uncertainly.

"Spiders," replied Sasha flatly, then she jetted up the cave, without any warning or advice about fighting spiders.

Simon began backing up the cave, frightened by the thought of a lethal, bloodthirsty spider leaping from nowhere and attacking him.

Red eyes flickered through the darkness. Simon raised his dulling sword defensively. The creature lunged, and Simon knew that it would be a spider. It ran at him, and Simon walked backwards as quick as he could. The cave was going uphill, so Simon knew that he would be at Sasha's stronghold in moments…

Suddenly, three more spiders emerged from the darkness, blinking their blood red eyes angrily. Simon fell backwards, turning his head to see he couldn't scale this part of the cave just by stepping backwards. Simon jumped to his feet and tore up the mountainous drop, waving his sword wildly at the spiders that were gaining on him. Managing to scrape both hands, Simon scaled the wall, then cut the eight legs of the spider that first arrived before its allies, severing them completely. The spider fell from the large drop roughly, and it began rolling down the cave. It plummeted directly into two other spiders, knocking them onto their backs, rendering them immobile.

Sooner than Simon had expected, the last spider scaled the wall, and, caught off guard, had knocked him to the ground, its pincers clicking madly –

Simon stuck the blade he was wielding through the spider's chest, and, in an attempt to fling it off his bloody sword, he tore out its stomach. The spider's carcass soared across the room, and Simon was showered with blood and string. He wiped himself off and gathered the string, deciding it would be useful. As Simon walked up the cave, he passed the spider's body, seeing its no longer glowing red eyes.

After half an hour of wandering through the dark and damp cave, Simon found the staircase exit. He hastily climbed up into the kitchen after he opened an iron door, that he assumed was used to barricade monsters from Sasha's house. Shaking all over and smeared in blood and slime, Simon went to find Sasha. He brushed his scorch marks on his arms and found Sasha without her strange object she had found in the cave. She had noticeably already cleaned herself, and Simon felt ignored.

"Hey," he said awkwardly. Sasha turned to him, then jumped back, revolted.

"Is that _blood?_" Simon nodded, holding the sword and string in his hands. His pickaxe lay across the floor.

"You need to go wash," Sasha said. "Go outside, around back. There's a bath. Hurry, it might get dark soon." Simon didn't argue. He dropped the strings on the table, and went outside.

It was a very refreshing day, warm and humid. Obeying Sasha's orders, Simon walked around the mountain and saw the bath she had referred to. Simon stripped off his clothes and lowered himself into an already warm, steaming tub. Simon looked out over the terrain of the land strewn out around the mountain stronghold. Fields of hilly land stretched out for miles, there were bushes and trees and the sort. There was a large cave roughly ten meters from where Simon laid, and it looked very steep. There was a small field of wheat that he assumed Sasha had tended to for years. Next to it, Simon saw stalks of what he thought looked like sugarcane, and there was a neat irrigation system running through both crop farms.

Simon relaxed himself more to the tub. He cleansed himself of the dirt, slime and blood he was wearing. Finally, and unwillingly, he pulled himself out of the tub while the pink sunset watched. He lowered some of his clothes into the water and scrubbed them clean, too. Simon felt great comfort as he put his clothes back on, but night was falling, and it was getting cold. He dashed around the mountain and knocked on the door, feeling it would be more proper.

"Simon, you don't have to knock." Sasha giggled from the other side of the door. Simon opened the door and grinned. He looked at a frame lying across the table, and saw a picture of a beautifully depicted fish.

"Sasha, how'd you get those colors?" Simon inquired, pointing at the fish.

"Pruning flowers and squids." Simon nodded, understanding what she meant. "I drew a fish, because as you know, I love fishing," she added. She paused sadly. "Even if I haven't been fishing since I got stuck on this damn island."

"That's horrible," Simon paused, and then noticed something was missing from the table. "Where's the string?"

"I put it by the fire." said Sasha. The fire wasn't lit. Simon strolled to the fireplace, and picked up the string. A wonderful idea had struck him.

"Could you get me some iron and sticks, Lucy –?" he stopped. " –Sasha, I mean?" Sasha nodded slowly. After she ventured upstairs, Simon plunged his hand into the fireplace and took a small stone.

"Oho," he said with gusto.

Sasha came back downstairs and handed the materials to Simon.

"What're you doing?"

"You'll see, Sasha." Simon stifled a smile.

Simon worked into the night, using the stone to shape iron. Even after Sasha announced she would go to bed, which she promptly followed up on, he continued working.

"It'll make her happy…" Simon motivated himself sleepily.

Simon found himself with two hooks and six nails in either hand. Finally, he left the common room and tossed his work under his bed, planning to sleep late into the next morning.

Simon walked out into the common room to find not Sasha, but instead a little boy.

"Who are you?" He might have yelled it, for the boy whimpered.

"J-Jade," he stuttered quickly. A tear leaked down his cheek.

"Where's Sasha?"

"She's sleeping, upstairs…" Simon calmed himself before noticing something familiar about the little boy.

"You were on the S.S Agek." The little boy who had mocked him while he was eating lunch with Lucy was standing before him.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that…" said the boy. "My name is Jade."

"Well, fancy meeting you here, Jade, I'm Simon," Simon shook Jade's hand. "I'm also sorry, for yelling at you." They both stared at each other for a moment. There was a noise upstairs that broke the silence, and Simon guessed Sasha was getting out of bed.

"I'm –" Simon started without thinking. " –going back to my room now." And he turned and left without another word.

An hour later, Simon had created the tool that he think would excite Sasha, and then he made the other for himself. He stuck the final nail into his new creation, and smiled to himself.

Simon burst into the common room with his head and fishing rods held high.

"What are _those?_" asked Sasha excitedly. "Are those –?"

"Yes, they're fishing rods." Sasha jumped from her seat and threw her arms around Simon. Simon responded with such enthusiasm he lifted her off her feet and spun her around. Then it was over, and Simon put her back on the ground awkwardly.

"Um…" murmured Simon, staring at his shoes. "Sorry." He looked at Sasha and realized she was still smiling. Simon suddenly smiled back.


	4. The Monsters and the Moss

Chapter 4

The Monsters and the Moss

Simon and Sasha leisured out to the edge the island the next day with their newly crafting fishing rods, while Jade decided to stay at the house.

"Three, two, _one!_" counted Simon. Both Simon and Sasha cast out their lines simultaneously and there were soft splashes as they landed in the water.

"You know, it's not so bad, living on this island," Simon ventured. "Well, other than monsters, obviously." Sasha laughed.

"Yes, living here has been much better since you came." Simon raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" he asked excitedly. Sasha nodded.

"I've got something!" she exclaimed. Surely enough, her line was bobbing rapidly. Sasha struggled to pull up her line, so Simon dropped his rod and helped her. Sasha began reeling in the prize, and Simon could already smell it.

It was as if someone who had recently emerged from the water had slapped him Simon the face. He fell backwards onto the sand and shook his head. Sasha was bursting with laughter, pointing at him with one hand and holding a fish in the other.

"Nice catch."

"Nice fall." Simon laughed. He went to go pick up his own fishing rod, but it was missing.

"Did you see –?" started Simon. He had answered his own question already. He looked out toward the water, and saw his fishing rod was skipping around in the ocean, spraying water everywhere.

"How is it doing that?" asked Sasha.

"It's a fish." And it was, a fish had taken the bait while Simon had helped Sasha get her fish. Simon groaned, then dove into the water.

The water was absolutely frigid, and Simon's brain and body seemed to go completely numb. It took him a minute to shake himself, and then he began to swim with a perfect breaststroke. He swam blindly through the cold ocean, listening for the fast-swimming fish's loud flippers. There was a fierce rush of water, and Simon lashed out with a strong kick. He felt his foot collide with the slick surface of wood, and knew the fish had swum directly past him. His lungs seared with pain. Simon propelled himself to the surface and refilled his body with air. He looked around. Sasha was throwing bait at him, which he noticed when one hit him on the head. Simon nodded at her and dove back under the water. Sooner than he had expected, the fish came through for the bait that Simon was holding. Simon groped for it in the water. It slipped from his hands twice before he finally caught it and brought it back to the surface.

Simon swam back to Sasha and lay across the grass. The water had been cold enough, but the day was breezy and the wind licked at his flesh.

"That's one way to catch a fish," Sasha remarked.

"Thanks." Simon told Sasha breathlessly. Sasha hesitated.

"You're welcome."

Simon and Sasha caught two more fish before they decided to go back to the mountain to accompany Jade.

"We're _ho-ome!_" called Sasha as they entered the stronghold. She took Simon's fish and went down to the kitchen, where Jade greeted her. Simon decided to go upstairs to check the things that Sasha had acquired over her years on Minos. He saw a large chest. There was a large label that went with it, too.

MINERALS

Fascinated and curious, Simon opened it. What he hadn't expected, however, was for things to start tumbling out onto the floor. He hastily picked them up and stacked them next to the chest and began rummaging through it. There was a moan from outside, so Simon guessed it was night.

He found some astounding things as he searched the chest, such as mountainous amounts of coal, numerous slabs of iron, and small grams of gold. Simon wondered how Sasha had actually found all of these resources. Finally, he hit the last thing buried under the mess. Simon knew without thinking that he was staring at a _diamond._

"Simon, it's time for dinner!" called Jade from two levels below him.

"I'll be down in a minute!" Simon yelled back. He neatly restocked the chest with the mass amounts of resources before dashing downstairs. Sasha had put candles on the table, and she and Jade were waiting patiently with their plates full of fish.

Once Simon had gotten his food, he sat down next to Sasha.

"Some day, eh?" Sasha elbowed Simon. Simon swallowed some water, almost choking on it.

"Yeah," he replied airily. "Hey, Jade, what did you do today?"

"I played with the animals," said Jade quietly. "They're very nice, you know."

"Yes, I know," said Sasha conversationally. She took a bite of her fish and she radiated happiness. Simon could easily tell she was savoring every bite, and that she wanted to eat nothing but fish.

"Hey, Sasha," said Simon. "I was looking through the minerals chest earlier. I hope you don't mind." Sasha raised her eyebrows.

"Of course not."

"Okay, good. At the very bottom of the chest, I found something. Was it an authentic _diamond?_"

"Yes, yes it was." Sasha replied arrogantly.

"How did you get it, Sasha?" Even Jade was interested in the magnitude of the diamond.

"Downstairs. You see, the last time we visited the cave, Simon, the intention was not to get ourselves blown up. I was trying to introduce you to mining." Sasha explained. Simon chuckled.

"Sasha, has the thought ever occurred to you that monsters appear in darkness, rather than just at night?" he suggested.

"Yeah, why would monsters be in that cave otherwise?" interjected Jade.

"It's been a compelling thought recently, yes," said Sasha thoughtfully. "Maybe we should carry around light sources from now on." They all solemnly agreed.

"Hey, Sasha," Simon began. "Why were there so many spiders coming from the bottom of that cave, rather than other monsters?"

"I was going to get to that in a moment, actually, Simon."

"Oh, go ahead then." Simon said.

"Here's the bottom line," explained Sasha. "I think I've found a way to break the curse on this island."

Simon gasped, and Jade dropped his fork.

"Really?" asked Jade.

"Yes," said Sasha. "I'm assuming you two would like to know." Simon and Jade nodded in unison.

"Riddle cursed this island, as you know," Jade scratched his head confusedly. "Oh, come on, Jade, I told you when we got out of the cave." It had only just occurred to Simon that the object Sasha had in the cave was Jade.

"Oh," said Jade. "Yeah, I think I remember now."

"Good. Now the mass amount of spiders pouring from the cave signified something that Jade here seemed to realize too late. Jade, you had found yourself in a spider spawner," said Sasha matter-of-factly. "They endlessly spew spiders. But Simon brought up earlier that he believes monsters can't appear in the light. So if we drown the spawner with light –"

" –we could break it!" Simon finished for her. Sasha nodded.

"My point exactly." But Jade pointed something out.

"But what would destroying the spawner do for us?"

"My belief is that if you destroy its spawner, that particular species of monsters will disappear." answered Sasha.

"Forever?" asked Simon.

"Forever." Sasha repeated.

"And one more thing," Simon said. "How will be able to know we're around a spawner?"

"Easily," replied Sasha. "You'll see mossy stones. But you'll probably have the general idea if you hear repeated noises of a monster, such as the moaning of a zombie, the clicking of a skeleton, the hissing of a creeper, the spitting of a spider, or –" Sasha stopped abruptly. "No, no, I haven't seen one for a year…" Simon heard her mutter.

"So if we break the four spawners, the curse will break?" asked Jade excitedly.

"That's what I think," said Sasha. "So who's for going to the spider spawner tomorrow?" She stuck her hand into the middle of the table. Simon reached out and placed his own hand on hers. Finally Jade did, but did so hesitantly, reached onto the stacks of hands, then they all departed to their bedrooms.

Simon awoke with a distinct sizzling noise ringing through his ears. Intrigued, but unconcerned, he prepared himself for the rough day ahead of him. He was sure that Sasha had awoken earlier and was cooking breakfast.

After he pulled on his jeans, he stumbled out of his room. Still a bit drowsy, he went downstairs to talk to Sasha. She was just about to pull pig meat and finish from the oven. Sasha quickly placed them on plates, and then finally realized Simon was standing in the kitchen.

"Oh, hello, Simon," she said dreamily. "Porkchops or fish?" Simon wondered if there was enough fish for the two of them. His question was answered by a cough from Jade, who was sitting at the table with a plate of steaming fish. Deciding not to be rude, he answered,

"Porkchops, please." Sasha nodded, and then gave the plate of porkchops to Simon. Simon sat next to Jade, and Sasha sat across from the two boys. Simon began to feast on his porkchops, and Sasha ate as well. Jade, however, was picking at his fish.

"Come on, Jade," said Sasha bossily. "you're going to need your strength today."

"I'm not hungry," replied Jade grumpily. His stomach growled in response.

"Your stomach says otherwise," Simon pointed out, gesturing with his fork.

"Come on now," Sasha said impatiently. "You may be scared, but we'll need you today. Really!" she added as Jade rolled his eyes.

"Sure," said Jade skeptically. "I'm only nine, you know."

"We know, but you never know what will happen." spat Simon, fed up with Jade's complaining.

"Fine."

The rest of the meal bathed in silence.

"Simon, run upstairs and grab us swords and pickaxes," said Sasha coolly. "I've got materials for torches already gathered." Simon nodded at her and sprinted up to the chest room. He soon found the correct chest.

Tools

Simon withdrew three of each, accidentally cutting himself with a sword. He got back to the kitchen, where he met Sasha and Jade who were waiting. He divided the tools amongst the group of three, and Sasha gave him coal and sticks. Simon shoveled them into his pockets.

"Are you boys ready?" asked Sasha when they were all standing by the door.

"Yes." breathed Simon. Jade fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Sure." There was a click, and the door swung open.

"Here we go," said Sasha as they stepped into the cave. "Now, which path was it down?" Simon strained his brain to recall the correct tunnel. After thoroughly searching his memory, he told Sasha to go to the top left cave. She agreed.

"When it's too dark to see, dent the ground with these," She held up her pickaxe. "then put a torch down."

"Alright." said Jade.

So together, the trio of captives of Minos made their way down to the spider spawner, the cave getting colder every inch.

There was a vicious spitting noise, and Jade jumped.

"I think we're getting close," whispered Sasha. "This way."

A spider leapt from the shadows just beyond the reach of the torchlight and attacked Simon. Before he could think, he had instinctively lashed out with his sword, cutting the spider in half down the middle, and Simon saw the light leave its boil red eyes.

"We're definitely close." Simon lit a torch and threw it two yards. It flickered, but did not die. The only thin Simon could make out was a distinct, green and erratic pattern all over the stone. Moss.

"S-Simon –" started Sasha. The spawner seemed to react to their presence. A spider emerged from the spawner, which had eyes only for Sasha. She screamed, and then Jade struggled to her and beheaded the spider. Sasha stood up and swallowed hard.

"Thanks."

"We've got no time, let's go!" yelled Simon. He broke out into a run. Only his legs could handle the speed he achieved, his arms were flying uselessly behind him. Before he knew it, he was at the heart of the dungeon. Simon raised his pickaxe over what he assumed was the spawner, and –

_WHAM. _A spider had caught him around the throat, and was clicking its pincers insanely, and Simon felt hairs being ripped from his head.

"Sasha –" But Sasha was cornered in the edge of the cube of mossy stone, and was trying as hard as possible to break free. He saw Jade was fighting with his fists, for his pickaxe had broken and he had dropped his sword somewhere.

Now there were four spiders clawing at Sasha and Simon, but Jade seemed untargeted.

"Jade!" choked Simon. "_Kill it!_" Simon's air supply ran out completely. He slid his pickaxe under the mob of spiders that ignored Jade entirely.

"Okay!" yelled Jade. With the greatest effort he had give in his life, Jade raised Simon's pickaxe high over his head, and –

_CRACK. _The room filled with a flame, then all was silent, except Sasha and Simon's coughing. They looked at what had once been the spider spawner. Simon had never gotten a good look at it.

The spawner had been a cobalt-shaded net-box. Now, the cage had been split down the middle. A small hologram of a spider was rotating in a wall of flames. There was indecipherable whisper, the fire in the spawner went out, and the hologram of the spider flickered and died in a puff of smoke.

Suddenly, white shot from between the space in the middle of the halves of the broken spawner. Aghast, Simon scrambled to his feet and left the small room that had contained the spawner. Jade and Sasha followed him.

"What is _that?_" asked Jade.

"I… I don't know." said Sasha.

"I do." Simon announced boldly.

The spawner was shooting string into the room, showering the roof, ground and walls.

"Is that _string?_"

"Yes," answered Simon.

"How much string is it producing?" asked Sasha.

"If I had a guess, I'd say the same amount of string from every spider's string gland on this island."

"Simon, that's a _lot _of string!"

"I know, Sasha."

As they watched, the string expanded out of the room, and the trio had to step back. Finally, it stopped, and the string was a yard out of the room, up to their ankles.

"Wow," said Jade in awe. Simon turned to Jade.

"Thanks, Jade," Simon put his hand on his shoulder.

"F-for what?" he stammered.

"You saved us," interjected Sasha. She hugged him around the waist.

"Oh… I guess I did!" exclaimed Jade, smiling. "You're welcome!" All three of them took armfuls of string, and departed back to the house, the problem of spiders now a distant thought in the back of their minds.


	5. Lewis

Chapter 5

Lewis

The next few days were spent in celebration. Simon, Jade and Sasha feasted on fish and socialized about their lives before Minos. Jade could now go fishing with Simon and Sasha, for with their supply of string, they had made another fishing rod. They were so excited that they had broken the Spider's Curse, they had forgotten about the zombies, creepers and skeletons. But seemingly too soon, Simon pulled the other two back down to Earth.

"We need to find the other spawners," said Simon over dinner.

"You're right, Simon," Sasha said. "We should make a map of the cave, assuming all of the spawners are in the branches somewhere within that cave."

"Great idea!" exclaimed Jade.

"Jade, you need to learn how to use a pickaxe properly." Simon pointed out. Jade nodded hesitantly.

"Simon, why don't you teach Jade to mine while I make a map?" asked Sasha.

"I don't like the idea," Simon answered quietly. "Last time you went down there alone, you almost blew up."

"True," Sasha thought aloud. "You two could come with me, we're running out of iron…"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" said Jade encouragingly.

"I say we wait at least two more days before we go down into the cave." Simon said.

"Two days!" chimed Sasha.

"Alright, I'm going to bed," announced Jade.

"Me too."

"Good night!"

Simon dreamt he was outside the stronghold, but the entire mountain had collapsed upon itself, and the home had been crushed. Sasha and Jade were next to him, watching the stronghold being destroyed before their eyes. Flares of orange circled the mountain in the midsection.

"I'll stop it!" yelled Simon. He took off towards the mountain.

Impossibly, the whole world was folding upon itself. Simon felt himself running uphill before he began falling backwards headfirst. He began to yell, he couldn't help himself. The ground was speeding towards him. There was a disgusting crunch, and –

The dream changed…

Now Simon was in a barren wasteland, with no landmarks in sight. He noticed there were no signs of civilization, or Sasha or Jade. Panicking, he began to run around in the flat dreamland he was trapped in. Simon began to see the strangest signs. There was a cave, but the entire thing was perfectly symmetrical. There were pyramids of sandstone. Simon found himself in the most odd of forests, one with all the leaves absent on every individual tree. The grass ruffled in the distance.

"Hello?" Simon called out. "Is anyone there?" Without realizing it, Simon broke out into a run, searching frantically for the noise. Then he saw him, or rather his back.

"Who are you?" asked Simon. The man turned. Simon had been happy to find a human, but suddenly wished he hadn't.

His hair was a perfect brown, and it hung just above his eyebrows. The Caucasian mystery man had a cyan shirt, and a deep blue pair of jeans. He seemed okay, but Simon noticed something haunting and dementing about him. His eyes.

They were a cold white cloud, white as snow; they were filled with nothing but white. The man was missing his pupils. What had replaced the pupils in his eyes was evil that Simon could feel in his presence. Without warning, the man ran at Simon. Simon yelled out before the man was a yard away from him. Suddenly, he felt himself collide roughly with the ground. His head swimming and his consciousness fading, he heard a carnivorous, bull-like roar. Simon felt the pain of a sharp sword stuck through his chest, along with a flash of blue. Simon let out a distorted cry of pain, and then laid his head down, and everything blackened.

The dream dissolved…

Simon was in the same flatland as he was in the other dream. This time, he was more cautious. He saw a man running at him. Simon turned and tried to run away. But he was rooted to the spot, and both of his legs were at least 1000 pounds –

Simon shut his eyes, thinking to himself,

_It's just a dream… it's just a dream…_

Rather then pain, Simon felt someone jerking him around. He forced his eyes open. Someone had seized his shirt and was shaking him back and forth.

"You've got to help me!" he screamed. "They're going to kill me!" The young man had brown hair, too, but it was rather long and untidy, and it drooped over his sapphire eyes. He looked scared beyond belief, and his bloodstained shirt and torn jeans stood out from Simon's neat and normal clothes.

"Please!" the man shouted. "_Please!_"

Simon awoke in a cold sweat, sitting up straight. His teeth felt gritty, as if they were cemented together. He felt very sick.

Deciding not to linger on the dreams he had, Simon left his room to the common room. He lit the fire and lay down next to it.

Sounds of steps came from another door. Simon sat up. The door swung open and Jade entered the room.

"I'm bored," he said nonchalantly.

"Me too," yawned Simon. "Want to go fishing before Sasha wakes up?" Jade seemed to be nodding off against the wall. His eyes snapped open.

"What?" he said sleepily. "Oh, sure."

Simon and Jade went to retrieve fishing rods to surprise Sasha with bountiful supplies of food. Simon decided not to frighten her of their mysterious disappearances.

_Dear Sasha,_

_Jade and me are out exploring Minos this morning, just for laughs and the intrigue it may spike. I hope you're not angry. We'll be back later._

_ -Simon_

"That looks good," said Jade.

"Sure," said Simon disdainfully. "Let's go."

15 minutes later, Simon and Jade were at the edge of the water. Simon cast his line out into the water.

"So, Jade," Simon started slowly. "how has your life been on this island so far?"

"Fine, I guess…" Jade grumbled back. "Sasha's pretty and nice –erm –pretty nice." Simon decided to ignore the nine-year-old's comment. "How old did you say you were, Simon?" asked Jade.

"I'm eighteen, but not by much," Simon answered shortly. "I was seventeen until I got on the S.S Agek. It was my birthday. When's your birthday?"

"Probably in a week," said Jade. "I can't really tell time while we're stuck on this island."

"Oh, true…" Simon thought aloud. "Good for you, I guess."

"I've got something!" Jade ended the conversation.

The two boys both fished until they could carry no more of it. Arms full and fishing rods over their shoulders, they departed to the house.

Ten minutes later, they heard a scream, and Jade dropped some of his fish.

"What was that?" asked Jade, the terror standing out in his voice.

"I –" stammered Simon. "I don't know. But it was definitely a guy."

"Help!" a voice rang out across the field. There was a vicious ripping noise. "HELP!"

"This way!" shouted Jade. He had picked up the direction of the voice.

Simon saw the stronghold's sugarcane farm. He noticed a huge cave that was torn into the ground, very steep, but it looked very unnatural.

"Do you think they're down there?" asked Jade.

"Yes." Simon had once seen this cave –after he had killed the four spiders in Sasha's cave, while he took a bath.

"Down we go, I guess." Simon said. He put down his fish on the grass. Simon took a deep breath, and jumped. Jade cried out, thinking Simon was being a fool, but Simon had spun and caught a rock on the cave wall three feet below.

"You stay there," Simon told Jade.

"But I thought that we –"

"You stay there!" Simon repeated angrily. Very carefully, Simon began climbing down. The wall was getting cooler and –if he was correct –slightly damper. He climbed for so long, he began to despair over getting out. Simon climbed down, though, further and further until –

"_Ow!_" roared the voice at the bottom. Simon tumbled on to the cave floor.

"My back…" moaned Simon.

"Your back? What about _my _head?" demanded the voice.

"I see you don't need help getting out, then?"

"No, no, I'm sorry! Please get me out of here!" pleaded the voice.

"Who exactly are you?" inquired Simon.

"Lewis Ordan," said the voice. "You?"

"Simon Heim." Simon told the young man named Lewis.

"Why can't you get out of here yourself, Lewis?

"I hurt my leg by falling down here. Something attacked me, but I drove it back."

"What did it look like?" said Simon curiously.

"I thought it was green, and it was definitely moaning. Do you have any idea what the _hell _it was?"

"It was probably a zombie." Simon said casually. Lewis made a strange noise, and if Simon could see his face, it would most likely look horrified.

"Jade, I need your help!" called Simon. "Come on down!"

"Alright!" Jade yelled back. Two minutes later, Jade let out a scream.

"Jade, are you –" started Simon, but Lewis roared as there was a deafening thud. Lewis swore so badly that Simon had to shout nonsense so that Jade wouldn't hear him.

"Jade, are you alright?" Simon yelled up to Jade.

"I'm fine…" answered Jade's voice from below. Simon saw through the dim light cast by the sun above that Jade was lying facedown on the floor.

"I fell," Jade muttered.

"We can tell," chuckled Simon.

"How are we getting back up now?" asked Lewis, getting back to the point.

"We climb," Jade said obviously.

"I hurt my leg, though," Lewis spat back.

"Simon, who is this guy?" inquired Jade.

"Lewis Ordan."

"Don't know him."

"Great, I don't know you two either," said Lewis.

"Lewis, we're going to have to climb," said Simon. "Sorry."

"But _how?_" Lewis yelled.

"I'll climb up first," said Simon calmly. He took a running start and kicked up the wall, grabbing another crack. He extended his foot downwards.

"Grab my foot!" There was a grab around Simon's feet, and he knew Jade was hanging onto him.

"Three, two, one…climb!" Simon lunged for the next reachable crack, and Jade did the same.

"Lewis, grab Jade's leg!" Simon belted. Jade let out a squeal that signaled to Simon that Lewis was holding Jade's foot.

"CLIMB!" yelled Simon. He struggled up to the next grab area.

"Three, two, one, CLIMB!" The three boys stuck in the hole all groaned.

Five minutes later, Simon could see they were almost there.

"We're almost…done!" panted Simon.

"Really?" rasped Lewis. Simon nodded, although he wasn't sure Lewis could see him.

"CLIMB!" Simon roared. There was warmth shining into Simon's skin.

"CLIMB!" A meter lied between him and the surface.

" –one, _climb!_" The exit was in his reach.

"CLIMB!" Simon's hand touched the warm grass.

"Jade, let go of me!" shouted Simon.

"What?" asked an appalled Jade.

"_Let go of me!_" Simon repeated loudly. The weight on Simon's leg disappeared, and Simon pulled himself up. The sun was sinking on the horizon.

"Jade, grab my hand!" called Simon. And with great effort, he pulled Jade and Lewis out of the hole.

"It's almost nighttime." Simon pointed out. Only Jade grasped the magnitude of his statement.

"We have to get back to Sasha's," said Jade. "Now!" Simon and Jade started sprinting towards the mountain.

"Hey!" Lewis yelled at Simon. "What about me?" Simon turned to Lewis, whom he hadn't looked at before.

Lewis's hair was grayish, though he was obviously Simon's age. He had a deep cut in his blue jeans, and he was wearing a featureless black shirt.

"What do you expect us to do, carry you?" asked Simon. "Come on."

Lewis began strutting grudgingly towards them. He walked in a limping fashion as well, because his leg was still hurt.

"Where are we going?" asked Lewis.

"Around that mountain," Jade pointed at the strange overhang mountain. Lewis shivered.

"It's cold."

"Quit complaining," spat Simon. Lewis grunted, and together, the three boys trudged around the mountain.

Once at the door, Simon said,

"In we go!"

"Where?" Lewis frowned. "What's in there?"

"You'll see," answered Jade. "Come on in."

Simon immediately warmed up as he stepped into Sasha's stronghold. The fireplace was running, but Sasha seemed absent. Then Simon heard Sasha singing to herself from downstairs.

"Who's that?" asked Lewis.

"Sasha, our friend." answered Jade.

"I knew a Sasha once." Lewis said randomly.

"Hey, Sasha!" called Simon.

"Yeah?"

"Come upstairs!"

"You know, she sounds familiar, too." Lewis thought to himself aloud. The staircases rumbled and thumped, and Sasha appeared in the common room.

"Who's he?" asked Sasha.

"That's Lewis," replied Jade, pointing at Lewis.

"Lewis…?"

"Ordan." Lewis butt in. Sasha's eyes brightened.

"No way," she said. "_Lewis?_" Lewis's brilliant blue eyes widened.

"Sasha?" Sasha ran up and embraced Lewis. They pulled away, and Sasha panted.

"I haven't seen you in –"

" –two years," finished Lewis. "It really _is _you." Simon was bewildered. All he could utter was,

"What?" Sasha turned to Simon.

"I met Lewis in sixth grade, we've been friends for years." Sasha looked back at Lewis. "It's been so long!"

"I know, I wondered if you had moved two years ago –"

"Nope, I've been stuck here. But Lewis, how did you get here?" asked Sasha.

"I myself have no clue," Lewis started. "I went to bed, and I awoke to the sounds of chirping birds. I didn't think I had left the window open. I rolled over onto grass and I knew something was wrong."

"Well, it's great to see you again!" exclaimed Sasha. Lewis put his hands on his hips.

"Some place you've got here, Sasha."

"Thanks, but there's more!" said Sasha proudly.

"I'm going to bed," said an ignored Simon.

"Me too," Jade murmured. Lewis got the grand tour of the stronghold as Simon tried to sleep on his feelings for Sasha, and how Lewis might interfere.


	6. Lucy

Chapter 6

Lucy

Simon awoke to Sasha's voice.

"Simon… Simon!"

"Whassamatter?" asked Simon groggily.

"We have to map the cave today, remember? You need to teach Jade how to use a pickaxe properly, too." Sasha was shaking him now.

"Oh yeah…" Simon sat up and shook himself. "Okay… okay."

"I'm tired, too, Simon," said Sasha. "I couldn't get sleep last night, it smelled like hot fish." Simon jumped.

"Are you alright?" Sasha asked as Simon leapt from his bed and out the door. He smashed his shoes onto his feet and opened the door, saying only one thing,

"Yeah."

Simon jogged out to the massive hole he had climbed out of yesterday. His feet splashed on the wet ground. It had obviously rained some percentage last night. When he reached the pitfall, he saw only seven fish left, lying across the mud next to the hole. Simon swore loudly. As he picked up the fish, he saw something written into the ground. _Ho. _Simon scowled, and then began making his way back to the stronghold with a reduced amount of fish than he and Jade had caught.

"Simon, where have you –oh my gosh!" exclaimed Sasha when she saw the fish.

"Jade and I really went fishing yesterday, to surprise you," Simon panted sadly, "but I forgot them, and something –"

_Or someone,_ Simon thought secretly.

" –ate all of it?" Sasha finished for him. Simon nodded.

"Oh," Sasha understood. "That was thoughtful of you two." She smiled weakly and sympathetically. Simon copied her.

"So, should we wake up Jade and go?" asked Simon. There was a pause.

"What about Lewis?"

"Oh, yeah…sure." Simon said bitterly. Sasha left the common room to prepare breakfast, while Simon leaned on the wall in silence, listening to the crackling of the dim fireplace. After five minutes, Sasha called up to him.

"Did you wake the other two up?" Simon was dozing off next to the fireplace. He jumped for the second time that morning and called back,  
>"I'll do it right now!" Simon walked to Jade's room and opened the door quietly.<p>

"I'm awake," Jade said as Simon stepped into the dark room.

"Oh, okay…" Simon closed the door behind him as he left. He went to wake up Lewis, until he remembered something vital about waking someone up.

"Sasha, where does Lewis sleep?"

"Upstairs, he built it last night!" Sasha yelled back to Simon. Simon stomped up the stairs to the room filled with chests. He saw a room's door, which hadn't been there previously. Simon assumed it was Lewis's room.

The room was very small and dry, for some reason. Simon was a bit curious as to why, and then he saw Lewis in bed, snoring loudly. He stepped to Lewis's bed and shook him.

Before Simon knew what was happening, he was lying on the floor, his eye throbbing with pain, and Lewis had a fist in the air. Lewis had punched him in the eye.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Simon grunted angrily and loudly.

"Sorry," Lewis said casually. "it's a reflex."

"To punch people who try to wake you up?" Simon bantered him.

"Well, when you put it like that, yeah." Lewis answered. Simon sighed.

"Sasha's making breakfast, and we're going mining today, so get ready." And he left to the kitchen, still rubbing his eye.

When he arrived in the kitchen, the first thing he saw was Jade. The first thing Jade saw was his eye.

"What's wrong with your eye, Simon?" Jade asked, concerned. Sasha spun to face Simon. She gasped loudly.

"It's all dark and stuff…" Jade rambled, obviously confused.

"Simon, how did you get a black eye?" asked Sasha, alarmed.

"Oh, is that what I got?" answered Simon with a question. "Lewis punched me for waking him up."

"On _purpose_?" exclaimed Sasha.

"No," Lewis came down the stairs and sat at the table. "It was a reflex." Simon's eyes narrowed. Sasha goggled at Lewis, and Jade rolled his eyes.

"That's strange," Sasha said.

"Unless you're an army man…" Simon muttered under his breath. Lewis banged his fists on the wooden table rudely.

"What's for breakfast?"

"Fish," replied Jade quietly. "go get some." Lewis groaned.

"I'm thirsty, too," he complained. "where's some water?" He asked as he was retrieving his fish.

"I've just made bottles, her," Sasha said as she emerged from seemingly nowhere. She handed the other three boys bottles filled with water and kept one for herself. Simon uncapped his bottle of crystal clear water and drank heavily. Lewis returned with an overwhelming amount of fish.

"Lewis, that's too much fish," Simon poked at Lewis grudgingly. Sasha caught eye of Lewis's plate.

"That's a lot of fish!" exclaimed Sasha.

"You don't deserve that much, either," Jade said angrily. Simon and Jade seemed to have the same idea.

"Why not, John Smith?" Lewis retorted sarcastically. Simon's teeth grinded together in his mouth. He wrenched them apart.

"You didn't do an _ounce _of work to get these fish!" he almost shouted. "I bet it was you who ate all of the fish by the hole we found you in, too!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Lewis shot back defensively.

"Like hell you don't!" Simon ranted sarcastically. "Jade and I fished all day, then we had to save your sorry –" Simon said something that made Jade jump. " –and then we left our fish there, and now a ton of it's gone!" Lewis's face was contorted in fury.

"You don't know what you're talking about, either!"

"Boys, boys, _stop!_" cried Sasha.

"Yeah, guys," Jade interjected quietly. "honestly…" Simon, who had stood up and was glaring at Lewis, sat back down and took a deep breath.

"Sorry…" Simon breathed. There was a deafening silence. Finally, Sasha said.

"Who's ready to go into the cave?" She sent Jade to go fetch the swords and pickaxes. Before Jade returned, stumbling down the stairs and dropping many of the pickaxes, Lewis apologized for punching Simon in the eye (which he admitted was on purpose), and Simon apologized for shouting at him. Putting their differences aside, Simon and Lewis, accompanied by the other two, set off into Sasha's cave.

"Oh, Lewis," Jade harped. "It's colder in this cave than it is outside at night." Lewis shot Jade a bitter look.

"Let's go, guys," said Sasha, walking down an unexplored branch of the cave formation. "Jade, are you ready to let Simon teach you how to mine?"

"Yeah," Jade said willingly.

"Great, let's get right to it, then!" exclaimed Sasha. "Simon, I see some iron in the wall right there." She dented the ground and planted a torch. Simon almost slipped on a wet rock to see what iron ore looked like.

As he had expected, iron ore was not shiny and silvery. It was a dull gray rock like every other one, but with specks of dark yellow and light brown.

"All right, Jade, this is how you use a pickaxe," Simon taught Jade. He pulled his pickaxe over his head. "Come on, now, do it with me," Jade certainly took his time raising his pickaxe. He began trembling.

"Simon, it's really heavy!" stuttered Jade, his voice shaking.

"It'll stop once you're used to it." Simon told him calmly.

"R-really?"

"Yes."

After a few moments, Jade stopped shaking.

"It worked!" said Jade excitedly. He wiped beads of sweat from his forehead, now holding his pickaxe high with but one hand. He continued to hold the pickaxe aloft.

"Now, you need to relieve yourself of the weight, right?" asked Simon. Jade nodded.

"Then _swing _at the ore!" Simon punctuated the word swing with a violent attack at the iron ore. It cracked into two uneven pieces. Jade finished it with another blow of his pickaxe. They scooped up the remains of the ore into their pants pockets, and then went to catch up with Lewis and Sasha.

When Jade and Simon found them, Lewis was catching Sasha up on his life. Sasha was only barely paying attention, clearly, nodding and mumbling,

"Yeah…" and, "Mhm…" She was scribbling furiously on the paper to depict the cave. Simon caught up to her.

"May I look?"

"Of course."

Sasha certainly had made a detailed illustration of the cave. He saw something strange.

"Sasha, what're those skull and crossed bones for?" asked Simon. He also noticed a large X on them.

"That was the spider spawner we destroyed roughly a week ago, I'll mark spawners with the skull." replied Sasha. She seized the map and pointed at something else.

"That question mark is a place for a spawner in question. There may be something there." Sasha pointed out.

"Alright, cool!" exclaimed Jade.

"Where's Lewis?" Sasha said with concern.

"I'm over here," Lewis's voice came from further down the cave. "I can't get this rock to break!" he said irritably. Simon sighed and went over to where Lewis was trying to break some sort of ore. It was a brilliantly dark blue.

"Sasha, what is this?" Simon called. Sasha dashed over to join the two boys, and Jade hastened to follow her.

"Is it diamond?" asked Jade.

"No," said Sasha confusedly. "I've never seen it before." A spark went off in Simon's brain.

"I think I have!" he burst out. His voice echoed around the cave. "I've seen it… passing a store…"

"What kind of store?"

"It was a… a jewelry sore…" He heard Lewis mutter something under his breath that sound like, "You would…"

"What was it called?" Sasha said. "The jewel?"

"Lazulis… Lapuli… um," Simon strained his brain. "Lapis lazuli!" he cried out. "It's not really a jewel, it's kind of soft," Simon said flatly. "and it can be pruned for dye."

"So should we take it?" asked Jade.

"Definitely," Sasha was already working at it.

"Careful, Sasha, what Simon said –" started Lewis. But it was too late. Sasha had accidentally struck apiece of the lapis lazuli head on. It immediately exuded so much dye that Sasha shrieked and Lewis recoiled. Jade was already a safe distance away.

"We have to get that dye!" said Simon.

"With _what?_" asked Jade. Simon reached into his pocket and pulled out his water bottle.

"Simon, don't –" But Simon had already poured the water onto the cave floor. It was time to enter the sprinkler of dye. Simon lunged, with his bottle ready.

Every fiber in his body screamed in protest. The dye was ice cold and dirty feeling. It splashed into his face, his mouth, his ears and his nose.

Simon pushed the bottle in front of him. He heard the dripping sounds in the bottle that told him he was taking in the dye. The noise stopped, and the sizzling of the lapis lazuli ore stopped. Simon coughed and spluttered. He spat blue. The floor around him was drenched in a deep blue. Simon was absolutely soaked blue. He peered into the rock. Simon noticed a pudgy, white object in it that he assumed just spat blue everywhere, similar to Simon.

"Well," he said nonchalantly. "It think I've had enough for today."

"Oh, come on, Simon," Sasha begged. "we're almost done with the map, I think!"

"Fine," Simon choked.

Within twenty minutes, there was a loud moan that bounced off of the cave walls. Another one. They wouldn't stop.

"D'you reckon we've found something?" shouted Lewis over the zombies.

"I think we're close to a zombie spawner!" cried Sasha. She scratched a question mark onto the map. "We need to go!"

"There's something over there!" screamed Jade. The groans were growing louder. Simon dropped his pickaxe. The clatter rang through his ears.

"Go."

"Simon, don't be stupid –" started Sasha.

"Go! I can buy you guys some time!"

"And let me miss out on all of the fun?" Lewis scoffed. He dropped his own pickaxe. "I don't think so."

"Boys are so _stupid_," Sasha stomped her foot. "You don't count, Jade, you're too smart. Let's go." Sasha patted Jade on the head. His face made Simon smile, but he remembered the serious task at hand. Jade followed Sasha through the cave. And they left Simon and Lewis to deal with the zombies.

"Hey, Lewis," Simon's voiced echoed through the cave, louder than the zombie's moaning. "When do you think there'll actually be a –" Simon would've said zombie if he hadn't been tackled to the ground by one.

"Help me!" he yelled at Lewis. There was a flash of silver and a spurt of red, and Lewis's sword cut through the zombie. Its tip was at Simon's blue nose.

"Thanks," Simon said flatly.

"No problem," replied Lewis. He helped Simon to his feet. "Do you think it's time to go?"

"Sure," Simon said. "I'm walking backwards, though."

"You do that." Lewis turned, snatched up his pickaxe and began walking away.

"Lewis!" Something was very wrong. Where had they gone? The zombies couldn't have just disappeared. Then Simon saw it.

"The horde!" yelled Simon. Lewis tore back through the cave, tripping when he saw what Simon did.

Twenty zombies. No, thirty. Fifty? Maybe one hundred. They all marched toward Lewis and Simon hungrily. Lewis was frozen with fear.

"Come on." Simon said, picking up his pickaxe. Lewis didn't move.

"We need to go," Simon said. "_Now!_" Simon smacked him with the butt of his sword. Lewis fell to the floor.

"What was that f –"

"Let's GO!" shouted Simon. The first zombies were less than a yard away. Lewis shrieked like a girl, and then sprinted away without his tools. Simon put Lewis's pickaxe to good use. He stabbed it into the head of three zombies before it got stuck. Lewis's iron sword was used to harpoon four zombies through the neck. Deciding he'd done enough damage to the zombie army, Simon took his own tools and dashed after Lewis.

Simon ran through the lit cave, following the torches to home base. Sooner than he had anticipated, he saw the stairs.

"Aargh!" Simon's right calf was screaming as it gave away. His leg was on fire. How?

"Help! Simon tried to pat out the flames with his hands. Finally, the flame stopped. Simon's leg was gray and red, but it was a lot less damaged than he had expected.

_Deep breaths, _he thought. _Deep breaths…_

But his breath caught in his chest as a creeper emerged from a dark branch of the cave.

"Pull me up!" Simon hollered desperately. "Pull me up!"

There was a hand outstretched from the stairs. The creeper was two meters from him. Spots burst in front of Simon's eyes. He groped blindly for the hand. Everything was dissolving in a whirl of dull colors.

"Help…" The air was growing cold as death. The creeper was a yard away. Simon's hand locked with his savior's. The creeper hissed loudly.

Suddenly, Simon had a scorching pain on both of his lags, and he was lying down the stairs headfirst. There was a crater. But for some reason, it was getting darker, and darker, and darker…

Simon was sitting on a red and white cloth in the middle of flat grasslands, with trees stretching across the horizon.

"Simon," called a girl. She was sitting across from him. Lucy!

"Lucy?"

"Yes, it's me," said Lucy.

"But I thought you were dead! When the S.S Agek flipped in the storm, I thought you were gone for sure!" exclaimed Simon. He embraced her.

"Simon, we never went on the S.S Agek, the cruise got canceled at the last second, remember?" Lucy told him.

"It wasn't real?" asked Simon. "All a dream?"

"Don't sound so disappointed," Lucy said, spreading jam on toast. Clearly they were having a picnic of sorts.

But how could he not? But it seemed no wonder anymore why Sasha had been so perfect. Simon had created her.

"But it felt so real…" Simon said quietly.

"Did it, now?" Lucy challenged, as if she knew what his dream was about. But she was right. How could Simon not have seen it? Zombies, skeletons, huge spiders? How did Simon not understand it wasn't real when he saw a _creeper? _It reeked of fantasy.

"I guess you're right, Lucy," said Simon, putting the dream aside.

"I'm flattered," Lucy replied sarcastically.

"Pass me the punch, will you?" asked Simon. "Please?"

"Don't be so petty, Simon," Lucy handed him the jug. Hadn't he only asked once? Everything seemed so oddly familiar. "How many islands d'you reckon we've passed, Simon? This cruise has been on seas for four days!" Simon stood up.

"That doesn't make sense." Lucy stood up, too. She began laughing. Simon turned on the spot. Jade was imitating him again, but Jade hadn't been there before.

"Stop!" yelled Simon.

"I'm sorry," whimpered Jade.

"What's your name?" Simon said forcefully.

"J-Jade Sparks…" What was going on? A ring of fire appeared on the horizon. They were in grasslands. Simon turned to Lucy.

"Lucy!"

"Find me." Her voice was terrifyingly smooth when she said it. Simon's eyes burned, and the image of the huge pitfall by the stronghold where he had met Lewis in his dream flashed into his eyes.

"Lucy, what's going on?" And she dissolved into thin air. Sasha appeared in her place.

"I don't understand!" Simon cried. "That wasn't real! That island doesn't exist! Neither do you!" he added, pointing at Sasha.

"Doesn't it? It was _so real,_ wasn't it?" taunted Sasha. It was too unlike her. Sasha's form twisted and twirled, and it was suddenly horribly distorted and evil. Was it even a woman anymore?

No. The man had jet-black hair and evil, red eyes. There was an ugly scar across his face. He was wearing a black cloak, and the air turned ice cold.

"I want to go back to my dream…" Simon said, intimidated.

"Who's to say you're not?" the cold voice of the man answered.

"Who are you?" Simon shouted angrily.

"Listen to my Riddle." And the man disappeared. _What riddle?_ Simon thought. _This doesn't make sense._

It had only just reoccurred to Simon the grasslands were on fire. The flames encircled Simon. This was the end of his life, surely.

"I hope my questions are answered after my death…" Simon's last wish escaped his mouth.

As the fires scorched him, his eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright. A bed. What an obscure place to land after death.

"Are you okay?" someone called to Simon.

"Of course not," Simon muttered angrily. "I just died, if you weren't aware,"

"That's interesting, then how are you talking to me?"

"Um…" Simon looked around. Sasha sat by his bed. She kissed him on the cheek. Simon felt his face redden.

"No," He slapped himself. "Wake up, Simon," Sasha laughed at him.

"What're you doing?"

"Trying to wake myself up," replied Simon casually.

"You're asleep, are you?" Sasha poked.

"That I am, Sasha, you aren't real, and this is all a dream." Simon kept slapping himself. Sasha grabbed his arm.

"Stop it, this is real. What's your problem, Simon?" asked Sasha. "What's gotten into you?" Simon blinked at Sasha. He shook his head.

"I had a dream, " said Simon. "A very disturbing dream."

"Would you mind sharing?"

"Alright…" Simon explained to Sasha about his dream where Lucy convinced him that the Island of Minos was all a dream, until the scene on the S.S Agek from reality began to repeat itself. He decided not to tell Sasha she was perfect, though. Then he told her about her turning into the man with the scar, and then one of the few things he said, _'Listen to my Riddle..' _

"Hm…" Sasha thought aloud. "That's very strange."

"I don't understand it either," Simon threw off his bed sheets. "What's for breakfast?"

"Simon, your leg –" Sasha started. Simon steeped off the bed, and crumpled to the ground in a heap.

"Are you okay, Simon" Sasha pulled him back onto the bed.

"Am I? I have no idea," replied Simon. "Why can't I walk?"

"In the cave, your leg caught fire, remember?" said Sasha. "Then the creeper exploded."

"I don't know why I caught fire, do you?" asked Simon.

"You might have got too close to a torch," said Sasha thoughtfully.

"I guess. I'll be more careful next time," Simon sat there, and then a dark thought set on him. "…which will be possible when?" Sasha's face drooped with sadness.

"I –" she stuttered. "I don't know, Simon, your left leg should only take a week or so to heal, but for your right leg that was on fire –"

"You don't know?" Sasha finished for her. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Simon." And she left his room. Simon threw his head onto the white pillows, and fell deep into thought, and sleep.

Simon woke up in the bed. His ears wouldn't work properly. He rubbed his eyes. Crumbs fell from them. Suddenly, he could hear.

"Simon, over here!" Simon recognized Lewis's voice. He turned to see him gesturing to something. He couldn't tell what it was; his vision was still a bit foggy. Simon blinked.

"I made this for you!" said Lewis.

"I helped!" Jade, whom Simon had just noticed, said excitedly.

"What is it?" Simon asked groggily.

"It's a wheelchair!" exclaimed Jade. "You can move around in it!"

"Really?" Simon was interested. "Never thought I'd been in one of these," Jade seemed to be jumping with joy. Simon grinned.

"You seem to be happy today, Jade," he pointed. Jade nodded quickly.

"It's my birthday!" He beamed at Simon. "I'm ten, now!"

"Cool," Simon said. "How does this work?"

"Just grab the wheels and push!" said Lewis. Simon tried it. It wasn't as terrible to be in a wheelchair as he thought it would be. It moved rather fast. Then something dawned on Simon.

"How will I go downstairs?"

"It's too steep to build a ramp. We've drawn a blank, so far. We've got no idea. You'll have to stay up here for a while." Sasha came up the stairs and immediately answered Simon's question.

"Oh," Simon said disappointedly. "Can I go outside?"

Simon remembered Lucy showing him the hole where he'd met Lewis.

"Yeah, we got straight to work with that. There's a ramp you can roll up."

"Great." Simon rolled himself up the ramp and opened the door.

It was a brilliantly sunny day, and unbelievably humid. Birds circled the trees, and dew lay across the morning across. Simon began to roll around. Wind flew into his face. Despite having crippled legs, he felt wonderful.

Simon found himself for forgetting why he was outside.

_The hole. _Simon remembered. He sped off in its direction. He thought he might have seen… something.

But no. When Simon arrived at the hole, which he now referred to as the Ordan Hole, there was nothing.

"I'm honored," Lewis said sarcastically when Simon was back inside and told him about it.

"I think you should be," Simon laughed.

"We should put a sign down," joked Sasha. As a joke the four stranded friends pledged to do it.

"I've made the sign! Simon, bring the lapis lazuli dye!" exclaimed Sasha.

It was sunset.

"We've got to do this quickly," Lewis said. "I can see my own breath."

"Don't be ridiculous," Sasha told Lewis off.

Once they made it to the Ordan Hole, Lewis could argue that what he said was true. It was frigid.

Sasha stuck the sign three inches into the ground. She instructed Simon and Lewis to write with the dye.

Ordan Hole

Simon and Lewis laughed at what they had daubed on the sign. Simon wheeled backwards.

"We should leave." As he said it, a zombie lunged out of the darkness of the night. Lewis had anticipated something would happen, and he punched the zombie on the nose. The zombie staggered backwards, and fell down Ordan Hole.

"Nice punch," Jade complimented Lewis.

"Thanks," Lewis said shortly. "Whoa!" He ducked as another zombie tried to deliver a blow to his head. Simon wheeled towards Lewis, and flew from his wheelchair using the momentum of the contraption's fast motion. He dug his shoulder into the zombie's chest. The tackled zombie was teetering on the edge of the hole. Simon's hand seized around his enemy's throat and he pushed it backwards down the hole. He heard the crack of its neck, and knew it was dead.

"Come on!" yelled Sasha.

"We'll see you back at the house!" Lewis grabbed Jade by the arm and pulled him towards the mountain.

Simon couldn't see anything. He crawled to the brightest thing he could see like he was struggling for his life. He touched the cold rubber wheel.

"Sasha, help me!" Sasha pulled him up onto the wheelchair.

"Go!" She gave him a sudden push forward. Simon rolled quickly to the house, with Sasha in hot pursuit.

Simon thrust open the door to the stronghold to let Sasha in. After she did so, she pulled Simon in. Then she bent over and put her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

"Lewis? Jade?" Simon bellowed through the house. Had they made it back okay? He tried to imagine them sprawled out against the grass-strewn ground, blood spurting from numerous bite wounds. Though neither Lewis nor Jade had ever truly been his 'friend,' it disgusted him.

"What?" the two boys called back simultaneously.

"Nothing," Simon yelled hoarsely. "Just checking if you made it back okay."

"So, does anybody want to go down the hole tomorrow?" Sasha asked over dinner. She bit into a porkchop.

"Sure," Lewis replied. "But can we find an easier way up and down?"

"Like ladders," added Jade.

"Sure!" exclaimed Sasha. Simon fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I don't think I can go."

"Well, Simon, we didn't expect you to," Sasha told him. "I guess you can just hang out and do whatever you want tomorrow."

"I think I'll sit by Ordan Hole. If you need help, yell up and Ill try and get down, I guess." Simon said.

The next morning, Simon accompanied the other three out to Ordan Hole. Sasha and Lewis laid down a ladder.

"See you soon, Simon." And Sasha disappeared down the hole.

"Stay safe," Jade said, stepping down the ladder. Lewis stood there silently.

"Well, bye!" And he jumped onto the ladder. Simon was left alone.

"Wait, what's this?" asked Lewis. His head appeared above the hole. "Simon, check this out!"

"What?" Simon craned his neck around to the back of the sign.

_Who? _The word was scrawled into the sign, as if with a blade.

"Did you do that?" asked Simon. Lewis shook his head. Simon withdrew his pocketknife. He struggled to engrave his name next to it. Then he wrote a message of his own. _You?_

"Go on, Lewis, they'll be wondering where you've gone off too." Simon told Lewis. Lewis cast Simon a curious look, then descended into the hole.

"Find me." Simon's dream kept replaying in his head. Here he was, at the Ordan Hole, waiting for something to happen. Simon tried to convince himself that it was just a dream, and nothing was going to happen.

Then something else struck Simon. How could he have dreamed of such a thing? That Minos didn't exist, and neither did the cruise, nor Sasha? Was he secretly _longing _for it to be a dream?

Simon was confused.

"Simon, are you alright?" Sasha asked.

"What?" They were already back. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"We're alright," Sasha said curtly. "Lewis, hurry up!" she hollered down the hole.

"I'm here, I'm _here._" Lewis climbed out of the hole. "Can we go home now?"

"Yeah," Sasha panted.

"Can we come back tomorrow?" asked Jade. Sasha patted him on the head.

"Sure."

Simon's dreams that night were not of terror or fright, but they were rather calm and joyful. He and the other three were all sitting in the common room, just… talking. Laughing, socializing.

Simon didn't even realize it was a dream until he awoke. Disappointed, he got dressed and rolled out into the common room on his wheelchair. Sasha sat on a red chair, sipping tea from a small cup.

"Oh," she said. "Hi, Simon." Simon grinned.

"Hello," he replied brightly. "Are we going to the Hole soon?"

"Yeah," She gestured to a table. "Lewis and Jade are downstairs eating. Your breakfast is right there."

"Thanks." Simon rolled over to the table to eat porkchops and bread.

"Are you guys?" Sasha called.

"Yeah!" bellowed Lewis.

"It's warm outside, I hope you're wearing light clothes." Sasha told Simon.

"It's alright, I am."

Sasha wasn't kidding.

Within two minutes, Simon was perspiring heavily. His breathing was irregular. He had to wipe his forehead frequently so sweat wouldn't obscure his vision.

Finally, they made it to the Ordan Hole.

"See you guys soon." Simon said as his companions disappeared down the hole. Once he was certain they were gone, he looked on the other side of the sign.

_Who?_

_Simon. You?_

Then Simon believed his eyes had failed him.

_Lucy._


	7. Riddles

Chapter 7

Riddles

Simon couldn't understand how he felt. Awe filled? Dumbstruck? Somewhere, deep inside… excited and happy?

But this wasn't possible. Surely… _surely_… Lucy had been killed when the S.S Agek had been blown away by the storm. Nobody had survived.

Then another possibility occurred to him. _He _survived. It wasn't impossible to survive. Perhaps Lucy thought that he was dead. How had she reacted when he wrote his name on the sign?

Simon had no idea he was about to find out.

"Simon!"

Something slammed directly into Simon's wheelchair, knocking him on his side. He registered that someone had caught him around the chest. Instinctively, he swung his arms and lashed out with his less damage leg. Someone screamed. Lucy.

"Lucy?" yelled Simon.

"Simon, help!" called a vice from the hole. Simon peered unsurely into the hole. There was Lucy. Dangling from a jagged rock.

"Take my hand!" commanded Simon forcefully. Lucy leapt up to Simon's outstretched arm. With his other arm, he pulled the wheelchair back slowly. Finally, Lucy's chest was bent over the top of the hole. Lucy pulled herself up the rest of the way, and brushed dirt off her pants. She looked up and her eyes met Simon's.

It was as if the weeks of the past had all been caught up. Simon felt no mystery or threat by Lucy's appearance. Lucy slowly walked up to his wheelchair, and wrapped him in a warm embrace, her black locks of hair falling onto his face. Lucy sniffled. Simon's shoulder was getting damp.

"Lucy –are you…" Simon asked. "crying?"

Lucy pulled away.

"Yes," she coughed, wiping her eyes. "I thought you were dead!"

"The thought was mutual," Simon said. "How's it been for you?"

"Terrible, Simon!" hiccupped Lucy. "I hate this place! There's something wrong with it! Do you have an escape plan yet?"

"I –" Simon hadn't thought about leaving Minos. "I wasn't really… planning to leave." Lucy's jaw dropped.

"Are you _insane?_" Lucy asked seriously,

"No, it's great," Simon told her. "You've had a different experience than me. I've found three people, and we all live together."

"Oh," said Lucy. "Well, it hasn't been so great for me. Freezing my hide off every night, and getting attacked by monsters. Crazy stuff, spiders, though I've not seen on for weeks."

"Yeah, credit us for that."

"_What?_" Lucy was appalled.

"We got rid of spiders," Simon said casually.

"But how?"

Simon explained how their group was trying to rid the island of monsters. He explained the spawners and what they did.

"So, you go rid of spiders?" asked Lucy. Simon nodded.

"What's that wheelchair for?"

Reluctantly, Simon explained the journey into the cave and his legs being damaged.

"That's terrible," said Lucy. "But I've found a plant that can heal some pretty nasty wounds! It's kept me alive for a while."

"Really, now?" Simon sat up straight, and took in that he was truly talking to his best friend again.

"Yeah, I think I've still got some…" Lucy reached into her torn jeans and pulled out leaves. "Put them on your burnt leg."

"I'm not sure." Simon was scared, for some unexplainable reason.

"Oh, come on, Simon," Lucy taunted. "What are you, twelve?"

"Fine." What Simon felt next was considerable pain. He had tried to apply the leaves to his leg, and restrain himself at the same time; the result involved him losing balance and his wheelchair falling sideways.

"Simon, you idiot," Lucy told him.

"I get that a lot." Simon grinned at her. Lucy laughed, and Simon laughed with her. He was truly bonding again with his best friend again, too. Simon felt Lucy pull the wheelchair back up.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it." Simon said seriously. He held the leaves in the air dramatically. Lucy giggled. Simon slowly lowered them onto his leg. It stung terribly.

"Ow!" cried Simon. Suddenly, the stinging feeling left his leg and was replaced with a soothing and relaxing feeling. Lucy smiled.

"Better?"

"Much," Simon said coolly. "Thank you."

"You're my friend, Simon," Lucy said modestly. "But may I ask what we're waiting for?"

"Simon, are you up there?" called Sasha from the hole.

"Yeah!" Simon yelled back. He looked to Lucy. "Nothing anymore."

"Who was that?" asked Lucy.

"That'd be the group I live with," Simon explained. "That was Sasha."

As if on cue, Sasha's head appeared at the top of the hole.

"Hey there, Simon!" Sasha greeted him.

"Hi," Simon said happily. "This is Lucy." He gestured to Lucy.

"Erm, hi, Lucy," Sasha said slowly. "Nice to meet you." Sasha mouthed to him, _Lucy?_

"Lucy was on the cruise with me before it crashed," Simon told Sasha. "That's how we both got here."

"Okay…" Sasha was surprised. "Four can become five, no problem!" Simon and Lucy looked at each other joyously.

"Sasha, will you hurry up?" asked Jade impatiently from the hole.

"Sorry." Sasha pulled herself up and out of the hole. Lewis and Jade followed. Lucy was taken aback by their sudden appearances.

"And who would these two young men be?" asked Lucy as if they were foreign creatures.

"I'm Lewis." Lewis introduced himself, stepping forward. He was being oddly graceful with Lucy's presence. He pointed to Jade.

"That's Jade." He stepped closer to Lucy. Lucy, however, stepped back.

"So Simon's told me you've got a place?" said Lucy, trying to start a conversation.

"Of course," Sasha replied. "Follow us." Simon and Lucy walked beside each other to the stronghold, with Lewis glaring at Simon enviously.

"You can stay in my room for the night, Lucy," Lewis tried to converse with her. "I've got no problem sleeping in the common room."

"That's a very generous offer," Lucy responded awkwardly. "I'll think about it." Lewis let Lucy walk further so she couldn't see him. He fist pumped silently. Lewis believed that nobody noticed, but Sasha, who was behind him, put her hand over her mouth to stifle the noise of her giggle.

"This the place." Simon and Lucy stood in front of the door to the stronghold. Lewis swept Simon out of the way and opened the door.

"After you," Lewis bowed respectfully.

"Erm," Lucy muttered. "Thanks." She went in, and Sasha followed her. Lewis turned to Simon, and gave him two thumbs up. Simon winked and grinned as a response. He was glad that his affection for Sasha was much more discrete.

That night, Sasha called everyone down to the common room. Lucy was there first. _So much like her, _thought Simon. Sasha dished out fish. Simon ached to be eating in the kitchen.

"Before we eat, let's all welcome our newest friend and companion, Lucy!" she exclaimed. Lewis clapped, and Jade and Simon joined in, laughing. Sasha murmured something to Lucy that sound distinctly like,

"Thank God you're here, I don't know _how_ I was going to handle and live with these three boys…" Lucy laughed her familiar and friendly laugh.

"Dig in!"

After dinner, Lewis, feeling particularly euphoric, offered to do the dishes, which nobody argued with.

"Lewis, did you say I could use your room for the night?" asked Lucy tiredly. Lewis nodded.

"Go ahead."

"So what're we doing downstairs except Simon," Sasha said thoughtfully. "I'm assuming Lucy knows how to mine by now."

"Well, I've made it this far, haven't I?" Lucy pointed out.

They all conversed a bit longer, deciding to go into the main cave tomorrow, and then they all resigned to their rooms, with the exception of Lewis, who crashed on a couch in the common room.

Simon awoke the next morning with a curious feeling. His legs felt oddly light. He remembered the leaves he had put on his damaged leg yesterday, which Lucy had given to him. Feeling adventurous, Simon tried to step out of his bed on the side opposite of his wheelchair. He found himself sitting in an invisible chair. He could support himself. With great effort, Simon drew himself up to full height. Proudly, he limped into the common room.

Lewis was already awake.

When Lewis saw Simon standing up, he stared. After a moment, he rubbed his eyes. Lewis even squinted.

"Yes, I'm standing Lewis," Simon assured him. "And no, you're not still dreaming, either." Simon continued as if he had read his mind.

"But," Lewis said, shocked. "how did you heal so quick?"

"Lucy put some plant on my leg," replied Simon.

"She's wonderful," Lewis said dreamily. "Beautiful, too."

"Alright, then…" Simon chuckled.

"Sasha's making breakfast, downstairs, I think." Lewis informed Simon.

"Thanks." Carefully, Simon made his way down the stairs, making sure his legs didn't give away and he wouldn't tumble down. Halfway down the stairs, Simon heard a sizzling noise. Finally, he saw Sasha in the kitchen cooking porkchops.

"Nice of you to join me, Simon," said Sasha without looking up. "I'm sick of making breakfast." She dropped the spatula next to the stove. Simon wasn't sure what to say.

"Good morning," Simon greeted her. Sasha's eyes suddenly went wide with realization of what she had said. Simon couldn't have been in the kitchen…

Sasha turned to the stairs to see Simon standing at the bottom, smiling weakly.

"How are you –" started Sasha.

"Lucy found something that really helped my leg, and she gave it to me when I found her yesterday." interrupted Simon.

"Oh, that's great!" Sasha moved at him with her arms outstretched.

"Hold on, Sasha, just because I can stand –" But it was too late. Sasha had thrown her arms around Simon's neck. The pressure of Sasha's weight was too much for Simon's still tender legs to handle. Simon toppled backwards and crashed to the floor, taking the brunt of the fall. Sasha was still hugging him and lying across him. He wished the moment would last forever. And last it did. They laid next to the stairs for a couple of moments in utter silence, until Simon broke it.

"Ow," he said shakily, rubbing the back of his head. Sasha pushed herself back up and laughed. She extended her hand to Simon. He stared at it.

"So, you don't need help, then?" asked Sasha.

"Oh." Simon took Sasha's hand and pushed himself up with his free hand. Once they were both standing, Simon looked behind Sasha. Smoke was rising from the porkchop.

"Sasha, I think that porkchop is burning," Simon pointed out. Sasha swore loudly, and rushed over to the oven.

"Thanks, Simon, it would've been ruined if it hadn't been moved just in time." she said hastily, scooping the last porkchop onto a plate.

"Breakfast's ready!" Simon called up the stairs. He grabbed a plate and limped over to a chair. Lucy came down the stairs, followed by Lewis, and Jade came downstairs, walking like a zombie.

"How are your legs?" asked Lucy.

"Great," Simon grinned. "I can walk." Jade's eyes snapped open.

"You can walk, Simon?" asked Jade, as if he couldn't see Simon anyway. Simon nodded.

"Not very well," he added. "But I can walk."

"Great!"

Once they were all seated around the table, Lucy said,

"What are your names, again?"

"I was going to ask you the same," answered Jade.

"I'm Lucy Baker," introduced Lucy.

"I'm sure you know my name," Simon said sarcastically. "But in case you forgot, it's Simon Heim."

"Lewis Ordan!" exclaimed Lewis.

"Jade Sparks!" piped in Jade.

"Sasha Riddle!" Sasha finished. Simon's brain went haywire suddenly.

_Riddle, _he thought. _Riddle, Riddle, Riddle! _Why was the name so familiar?

_Listen to my Riddle. _Of course. But that didn't explain much. Simon's eyes widened as he remembered his first days on Minos.

"_An evil man named Samuel Riddle," _Sasha had said. _"I once knew him. I do not wish to discuss the matter any further." _Simon suddenly understood why.

Simon stared at her. She looked threatened by the intensity of his gaze. Did she know what he had guessed?

"Sasha, could I took to you for a moment?" asked Simon. "Privately?" Lucy, Lewis and Jade looked perplexed. None of them had put it together.

"Sure?" Sasha answered uncertainly. Simon stood up and grabbed Sasha gently by the arm and led her downstairs. He slammed the iron door behind him. Every fiber in his body was tingling.

"You never told me!" Simon said angrily. "Not even Lewis, or Jade!"

"Simon, I'm so sorry –" Sasha tried to explain.

"Unless, of course, I've made a mistake," Simon said shakily, without looking at Sasha. "you're _related _to the person who cursed this island?"

"Yes, Simon, I'm sorry I never told you –" Sasha tried again. Simon, however, cut her off again.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you'd react the way you are right now!" cried Sasha.

"I would've been a lot less angry if you had told me upfront, rather then leaving me to figure out myself!" Simon spat. "But you've kept it a complete secret from us!"

"I'm sorry I never told you, Simon, I really am!"

"Yeah, but what would've been so bad about telling me then?" asked Simon suspiciously.

"I thought you'd think I'm just as bad as him!" pleaded Sasha.

"Well, if you can lie to us this long, maybe you are!" Simon glared at Sasha, who looked ready to cry.

"I'm not, I'm not!" Sasha sobbed. "Why else would I help you?" Simon had not thought about this.

"Please forgive me, Simon…"

_Listen to my Riddle._

"You didn't tell me you probably understood my dream after the day in the cave, and my legs got damaged."

"What?" Sasha seemed genuinely confused, but Simon wasn't sure because of the conversation at hand.

"The dream, where the man told me to 'Listen to his Riddle.'" Simon continued. "You recognized him when I described his features, didn't you?"

Sasha nodded hesitantly.

"Yes, that was my father."


	8. Skeletons

Chapter 8

Skeletons

Simon thought he had seen it all. Clearly, he had not.

"So you _swear,_" He put strong emphasis on the word. "that you're on our side?" Sasha nodded, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry I never told you." Sasha wiped the tears from her eyes. Simon slowly approached Sasha and wrapped her in a warm embrace, straining his weak legs to stand. He slightly rested his chin on her head, but not much. Sasha was crying into the blue shirt that he had been wearing when they had first met all those weeks ago. Then, without thinking, Simon kissed her. It was a few minutes – or hours – or possibly several wonderful and uninterrupted days and nights before they pulled apart. Simon hadn't noticed how warm it was until the wonderful sensation was over. Sasha was pink in the face, and Simon guessed he was reddening, too.

"Shall we –shall we go, erm, back upstairs, then?" Simon stuttered.

"Um, yes," Sasha stammered back. "That's a good idea." Sasha turned around and drew her hands to her mouth. Simon had no idea what she was doing. Then silently, Simon and Sasha opened the door and walked upstairs, Simon's extremities still uncontrollably numb. Lucy, Jade and Lewis had gone somewhere else, as their plates were gone. Simon sat down to finish his porkchop breakfast. Sasha sat across from him, where her plate was. They gazed at each other for their whole meal. Simon's mind was still racing.

_She's so great,_ he thought to himself. _I thought that if she accepted my love for once, it'd be great. She did, but now instead of enjoyable friendship, it's awkward, undying love. I wish it had never happened now…_

"Simon," Sasha spoke to him from across the table. " I –"

"I love you," Simon interrupted. There was a deafening silence. "Let's skip the awfully weird part and treat each other like friends who know the truth about each other." Sasha nodded. Her blue eyes burned into Simon's.

"Do you trust me?"

"I do."

Sasha told everyone that they should go mining today, and go group off. Lewis and Lucy partnered, as did Sasha and Simon. Simon and Sasha took Jade with them. Lewis and Lucy set off into the downstairs cave first, followed by the other three.

"Well, it's been a while since I've been mining," Simon said during their exploration.

"Good to have you back!" exclaimed Jade. Jade hoisted his pickaxe over his head and smashed a piece of iron ore to show Simon how much better he had gotten.

"Nice job, Jade," Sasha remarked. Simon beat a dent into the nearest wall, and placed a torch.

"Simon, what is it?" asked Jade.

"I don't know," Simon answered. "but I thought I saw something over there." Simon pointed to the end of the cave.

"Yeah, me too," Sasha agreed. "We should check it out."

No sooner had they rounded the corner then they saw a creeper wading through the darkness of the cave. Instinctively, Simon drew his sword and cut off all four of the creeper's legs. Blood flowed from the cuts. The creeper hissed loudly, and Sasha shrieked. Simon flicked his sword almost lazily and cut off its head at its neck.

"Thanks, Simon." Sasha said.

"No problem," replied Simon. "Let's keep going." Simon looked down the cave as far as he could see. Something sparkling and glistening shone and cut through the black.

"What is _that?_" Sasha had seen it, too. Simon lit a torch and walked slowly to the wall. A rock filled with a bright spectacle of blue flecks waited patiently.

"No way," Jade uttered. "Is that –?"

"I think so!" exclaimed Sasha. "Diamonds!"

_Click. _The sound rang through the cave.

"What was that?" asked a frightened Jade.

"Shush." Simon held up a finger.

_Click. _The sound was growing closer, and more frequent.

Simon peered around a dark corner. Distantly, he saw brightness down the cave, very dim. Simon didn't recall placing any torches back there. Was there a blue cage?

The warning shot arrow that flew past his head interrupted Simon's thoughts.

"Whoa!" Simon ducked around the wall toward another one.

"What is it?" asked Sasha. "What do you see?"

Simon swallowed hard and breathed heavily.

"It's the skeleton spawner," Simon answered.

"Are you serious?" cried Sasha.

"I'm dead serious, Sasha," Simon assured her. "We need to get out of here. Come on." Like he had earlier, Simon pulled Sasha away by the arm from the spawner.

"But the diamonds –" protested Jade.

"Forget about it, Jade, we'll come back later, now come on!" shouted Simon over the sounds of arrows being fired from bows.

_Click. Click. Click. _Simon could still hear the maddening sounds of the bones clunking together, all throughout the cave.

"There's the door!" exclaimed Jade. With a spurt of speed, he was there, and Simon hastened to follow him.

"Guys!" Lucy's voice came from one of the many cave branches.

"Lucy?" As soon as Simon called her name, she emerged into the room.

"You've got to help – Lewis is hurt – saved my life –" Lucy took irregular breaths between each incomplete phrase.

"Where?" asked Simon urgently.

"Follow me!" Lucy sprinted down the same cave she came out of, and the other three followed. They found Lewis, walking and looking down low, as if he was sleepwalking. Blood oozed from the back of his neck, his cheeks and his arms. The four were still running for him when he collapsed on the cave floor, creating a cloud of dust. Simon was the first to reach Lewis's unconscious body.

"Come on, buddy," panted Simon, trying to pick up Lewis's head.

"Simon, I think he's –" Jade started sadly.

"No, Jade, he's not, now help." said Simon stubbornly. The other three helped to lift up Lewis as if they had already given up hope. Simon, however, had not.

They carried Lewis into his room, where Simon laid him on his bed. He pulled some crumbled leaves from his back pocket. Cautiously, he lowered them onto his arm. Lewis shouted incoherently and lashed out with a kick that almost hit Jade in the face. Sasha and Lucy's lips were quivering.

"Come on, Lewis, just a bit more…" Simon muttered. He applied it to his other arm and cheeks, and Lewis cried out again. If he hadn't been so weakened from the wounds he would've been punching and kicking furiously.

"Flip over," Simon commanded. Lewis mumbled, and then struggled to flip himself over. He kept his mouth off his bloodstained pillow. Finally, Simon put the leaf on his neck. Lewis sat up, wide awake suddenly. His neck wound was no longer bleeding.

"Lewis, are you alright?" asked Lucy.

"Um, yeah," Lewis answered. It was the first time he was being normal around Lucy it seemed. "I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired."

"Let's let him rest, then." Simon decided. They all left the room and ventured into common room.

"Lucy, I've got some questions to ask." Simon informed her.

"Alright," replied Lucy. Her voice was still shaking.

"What attacked you?" Simon didn't hold back the strange question.

"It looked like a human, with a sword. It was strange, vibrant blue." Lucy answered nervously.

"What did the person look like, Lucy?" Simon asked gently.

"It was a man," Lucy told him. "He had jeans and a light blue shirt."

"What about his face?" Simon suspected Sasha's father.

"He had knocked me down, so I couldn't get a very good look at him," explained Lucy. "But I could make out brown hair. I saw something else, but I thought it was completely ridiculous."

_Well, it can't be Sam Riddle, _thought Simon. But there was something familiar about the description of the man's face according to Lucy. Brown hair, dark jeans, light shirt, and they all reminded him of the murderer he had dreamed of.

"What did you think was ridiculous?" inquired Simon.

"When I look into his eyes, they were stormy white." Lucy answered, trying not to sound insane. "He had no pupils." Simon's mouth dropped open.

"Simon, are you alright?" asked Sasha. She had been silent the whole conversation. Jade had, too.

"I'm –I'm fine," stuttered Simon. "Sasha, can I ask you a couple of things?"

"Sure," replied Sasha. Sensing the change in atmosphere, Lucy stood up.

"I'll go make lunch," she announced. "Come on, Jade."

"Do I have to?" pouted Jade.

"Yes." Lucy answered sternly. Jade muttered in disappointed. Once they were out of hearing range, Simon asked Sasha,

"Do you have any idea who Lucy described?"

"No, I'm guessing he's one of my dad's accomplices," answered Sasha. "What was with your reaction to the whole 'no pupils' trait? It's probably one of the more normal mysteries on this island."

"I –" Simon hesitated. He would not, however, conceal the truth as Sasha had. "I had a dream about him," he continued. "With a blue sword and everything."

"That sword must be deadly!" Sasha burst out. "From what I've gathered from this conversation, the sword could be made out of sharpened diamond!"

"Do you think that your father could get that much diamond? He could make an _armory _out of diamond supplies?" asked Simon.

"It's possible," Sasha informed him. "If we ever have to attack him, we'll need sufficient equipment as well!"

"What do you mean '_if we ever_'?" Simon said crucially. "Of course we'll have to attack him eventually, Sasha! How else could we permanently break the curse on Minos?"

"I don't know, Simon. I guess it was a stupid thing to say…" said Sasha.

"It's alright, I guess it's normal to not want to kill your own father." Simon sympathized.

"I think so," Sasha remarked. "I'll try to get over that."

"So, in conclusion, we should keep our eyes out for the pupil-less man," Simon finished. "We should tell the other three."

"I'll go tell Lewis."

"I'll tell the other two, then." Simon and Sasha stood up and went to tell their respective friends about the pupil-less man's identity and Simon's dream about him.

Later that night, Jade, Simon and Sasha all told Lewis and Lucy that they had found the skeleton spawner, and that they should destroy it as soon as possible.

"Alright," Lewis said agreeably. He had recovered remarkably fast. "But we'll need some sort of arsenal of equipment to take them out."

"They have bows," Jade reminded them. "We'll need some projectile weapons of our own other than melee weapons, unless of course someone's got hand-eye coordination enough to deflect arrows with a sword."

"I don't guarantee anything, but I might," Simon said. "I use to fence and do martial arts."

"Do we have string?" asked Lucy.

"Too much," replied Sasha. "Why?"

"We could make our own bows." Lucy answered. Lewis slapped himself on the forehead.

"Of _course,_" Lewis sighed. "How could we not have thought of that?"

"I'll get the string," Simon volunteered. "How much do we need?"

"An armful," replied Sasha.

"I'll go get it now, I guess," Simon stood up and went to get a pickaxe and a sword.

Once prepared, Simon set off into the cave alone with Sasha's map to the broken spider spawner. Once there he took an armful of the string as Sasha had asked him to do. Simon sighed at his boring job. But he had an idea. A stupid idea, no doubt, but an idea nonetheless. After he convinced himself to do it, he began venturing to the skeleton spawner's diamonds.

_Click. _Simon knew he was getting closer to the spawner.

"Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea," Simon repeated it to himself as he got closer and closer to the skeleton spawner. The clicking noises were growing louder. Simon's eyes fell upon a sparkling blue rock. He breathed heavily before lunging at it with his pickaxe.

He knew he was being stupid immediately. The string collapsed in a heap on the stone floor and arrows narrowly missed his head. Simon haphazardly swung at the diamond to shatter the rocks around it. His iron pickaxe penetrated the rock powerfully and was doing its job well.

An arrow tearing through his shirt told him he needed to hurry. Simon was bleeding where the arrow had grazed his chest. Finally, all of the diamonds were freed from the cold gray prison that was the stone wall. Picking up the diamonds in one hand and scooping the string into his arms, Simon ran for his life. The clicking wasn't getting any quieter. The skeletons were following him back through the cave. An arrow shot past his head, under his arm and next to his foot, until finally –

Simon swore at the top of his lungs as an arrow finally stabbed into his shoulder blade. He slowed immediately. He was losing perspective, and the world was spinning. Dizzy, Simon reached into his back. He knew he would bleed to death if he pulled out the arrow. Instead, he snapped it at the arrowhead and continued to run from the horde of skeletons. Simon sighed with relief when the skeletons had finally given up their chase.

Once back to the door, Simon opened it and walked upstairs. He quickly buried the diamonds in the string to surprise his friends.

"I'm back," Simon called. He rushed upstairs to find them all in the common room, sitting around the fire.

"I've got the string!" exclaimed Simon. He dropped it on the floor, and there was a dull _thunk_.

"That's some heavy string you've got there," Lucy told him. Simon nodded.

"So, who has skilled bow craftsmanship?" asked Lewis. Nobody answered.

"So, I guess we should all make our own," Sasha declared. "I'll get some sticks."

"Everybody get some string!" exclaimed Lucy. Jade was the first to his feet. He dashed over to the string pile and thrust his hand deep into it.

"Ow!" Jade retracted his wrist, which was darkening. "I bruised my wrist!" Suspicious, Jade plunged his hand into the string again, and everybody watched in silence. Sasha came back downstairs as Jade pulled one of the diamonds from the mountain of string.

Jade looked as if he was going to faint. He was clutching the diamond as if it were a lifeline. The diamond sparkled and glittered in the firelight of the common room.

"Is that –?" Lucy stuttered.

"Wait –" Lewis babbled.

"Did you find –?" Sasha stammered.

"Am I holding a –?" Jade said, appalled.

"It's a diamond." Simon confirmed their confusion. But it was his turn to be led away by the arm. Sasha pulled him upstairs into the stronghold's loft.

"Simon, what on Earth were you thinking?" Sasha said. "Why would you go to the skeleton spawner alone?

"Why're you assuming I got these diamonds at the spawner?" Simon retorted. Sasha cast him an angry look.

"Oh, alright, I did."

"That's what I thought," Sasha lectured him angrily. "You're important to our group on this island, Simon." She paused. "And you're important to me, too." she added.

"Why did you think I got the diamond from the spawner?" asked Simon. Sasha pointed to his shirt.

"You don't think I'd notice your shirt turning red?"

She wasn't lying; Simon's shirt was turning a dark red below his navel and his shoulder blade. Simon made a sighing and gasping noise.

"I think I should go get something for that." he said. Sasha nodded. Simon turned and began to walk away. He stopped and turned around again.

"I'm sorry," Simon apologized. Uninterrupted, Simon walked down into the common room, where the other three were still fishing through the string excitedly, hoping to find more diamond. They had already found three of the whopping nine in the pile. Simon forced a smile, though it seemed they didn't notice him.

Simon didn't sleep very well that night. He was afraid that the dream would sink into a nightmare about the cloudy-eyed man. His soulless, evil face haunted each of his dreams. Simon was restless, anyway.

"We should destroy the skeleton spawner today." Those were the first words that Sasha spoke to the four of them the next morning.

"I agree," Simon said immediately. "The skeletons are quite nuisances."

"I made myself a bow," Lucy interjected. "I've also made you guys bows, too, don't worry." She reached under her chair by the common room fire and withdrew five bows and handed them out to the others.

"So," Lewis noticed. "Arrows." There was a silence.

"We'll get on that after breakfast," Sasha decided. "Now come on, help!"

After breakfast, the kitchen smelled of porkchops, fish and smoke. Jade had accidentally burned his breakfast.

"Bad omen, Jade," laughed Lewis. The other four laughed with him.

They all ventured into the loft of the stronghold cheerfully and opened the chests. Each of them claimed their own table. They threw down flint, sticks and feathers and began crafting arrows.

Simon was tasked with creating quivers for the group. Sasha sent him to fetch some leather. When Simon didn't know where to go, she ridiculed him and told him one word.

"Cows." Slapping himself on the forehead, he borrowed Sasha's sword to slaughter cows outside.

After an hour or so, the quivers were made, and all were properly equipped with thirty arrows each.

"I think it's time to go in." Simon said finally. Sasha went into her room and brought the map out.

"Let's go."

The loud clicking of skeleton bows was audible from thirty meters away.

"We're close," gulped Jade. He had his bow drawn uncertainly.

"We're farther than it seems," Simon assured him calmly. Lewis and Lucy were back to back, guarding each other.

Simon saw the dim light of the fiery spawner from around the corner.

"Stop!" he cried as Sasha almost turned the corner. "It's right there!" An arrow flew into the wall and cracked it, as if to prove his point.

"Is everyone ready?" whispered Sasha. Everyone nodded. They all took heavy breaths.

"Three," started Lewis.

"Two," Lucy added.

"One," continued Jade.

"GO!" shouted Simon. He leapt out of hiding and shot an arrow.

It was a lucky shot. It pierced a skeleton where its eye should have been, and it crumpled to the ground, dead. The other four saw the opportunity to strike with him, and followed him out. Skeletons spewed from the spawner. The group was getting closer to the dungeon. Simon suddenly realized that bows were rendered useless from close range. He hadn't brought his sword. Just his pickaxe. Simon barely reminded himself that it could get stuck in a skeleton's head easily. Reluctantly, Simon pulled his only weapon out. An arrow.

It was like fighting with a dagger. Simon felt lighter on his toes than with a sword. The clicking noise was deafening. Simon noticed he was in the middle of the mossy room. Lucy was bleeding, and Lewis was defending her. Sasha seemed to be holding up fine. Jade wasn't hurt, but his breathing was heavy.

"Simon, I'll hold them off!" yelled Sasha. She screamed as an arrow stabbed into her arm. Simon wanted to help, but he knew Sasha wanted him to destroy the spawner. Simon wheeled around as fast as he could and drew his pickaxe, with as much strength and power as he could muster. Simon delivered a penetrating blow to the cobalt cage.

Just like the spider spawner, the room filled with a familiar warmth and fire. Silence was all that was left. Then the tumult broke, and everyone jumped around excitedly. Lewis and Lucy kissed, as did Simon and Sasha. They all joined into a group hug, but one person did not join their celebration.

"Jade?" Sasha called. There was an exhilarated choking sound from somewhere below them.

"Jade!" shouted Simon. He threw himself onto his knees and flipped over Jade.

"Come on!" Simon said. "What's the matter?" Simon looked at his chest. An arrow had pierced his stomach. Lucy dropped down next to Simon.

"It's all right, Jade, you're going to make," Lucy said quickly. Jade struggled to shake his head. Then Simon saw what his friends hadn't. The arrow in Jade's neck was stabbed all of the way through. Jade wouldn't survive.

"Simon…" Jade choked. "Good… luck…" He suddenly went limp and still.

Jade was dead in Simon's arm.


	9. Funeral

Chapter 9

Funeral

The room was absolutely silenced. Lewis and Sasha were on their knees, too. The world had ended, so why were they still crouched by a shattered spawner, staring at the empty shell of what was once their friend? There was no way the ten-year-old Jade Sparks was dead. All evidence was lying. What did the world have against Jade? What had he done wrong? Rather being said for Jade's loss, he was angry at the world's decision to take his life. Not the world's decision. The skeleton's decision. Riddle's decision. Simon was more disgusted than ever before in his life. He was livid.

"When we find Riddle," Simon spoke through the silence, his voice shaking with unshown rage. "I'm going to make him suffer a fate worse than death." Sasha didn't seem shaken by Simon's headstrong words.

"I'm over it." Only Simon knew what Sasha meant by this. There was a flinging sound, and everyone but Jade flinched.

"Something's about to come out of that spawner!" shouted Simon. Lewis, Lucy and Sasha all sprinted out of the room. Simon grabbed Jade's body and dragged it out with him. They all stood a reasonable distance from the destroyed spawner's room. Without warning, the spawner spat arrows and bones in an assortment of different directions. Lucy and Lewis recoiled; they hadn't seen a spawner after it had been broken before.

"Look at all of those arrows and bones!" exclaimed Lucy. She started walking towards the room, but Simon grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt.

"It's not done yet." They all stared at Jade's dead body, his eyes still wide open. Simon's fists clenched and unclenched at Riddle. Finally, the spawner calmed itself, and there was silence again.

"I'm going home." Simon said. He turned his back on the skeleton spawner and began making his way up to the house with Jade lugged over his shoulder.

~O~

"I want to bury him," said Simon once the other four – no, three – were gathered in the common room. "It's the least he deserves. Do you have a shovel?" Sasha nodded. She stared deep into his eyes.

Simon laid Jade's body across the floor. They were all looking at it again. Lucy stood up and walked over to Jade. Her eyes were watering. She took two fingers and placed them on Jade's eyelids. She pulled them over his blue eyes.

"There," she said quietly. "Now he could be sleeping." A wave of sadness washed over Simon. Sasha went upstairs and returned with an iron shovel.

"Are you ready?" asked Sasha. Simon nodded. Sasha walked slowly to Simon and extended the shovel arm. Simon took the shovel and scooped Jade up.

"Can somebody get the door" Lucy was the first to get there. She opened the door carefully. Simon stepped out into the warm, breezy day and started walking forward. He didn't know where to bury Jade, but he continued walking straight toward the sun. Finally, he found a suitable place for a burial ground. The sun burned his eyes so they were tearful. Simon then realized the sun was behind a cloud, covering the blue sky. He laid Jade's body onto the ground again gently and drew his iron shovel. Simon looked around. Lucy, Sasha and Lewis were visible from the door of the stronghold about half a mile away. Simon was staring at them, but he wasn't sure they could see them. Wiping his eyes of tears, Simon took his spade and began whacking it into the ground. His burning heart gave him strength to dig vigorously at Jade's new home. Simon knew the grave was deep enough already, but he kept digging. The dirt soaring from his shovel to the exterior of the hole was how Simon chose to cope with whatever it was he was feeling. Rage? Depression? Maybe though Simon was trying to block it out, scared? All of these attacks were no coincidence. Simon was always sure that when his leg caught fire, there were no torches to brush against as Sasha had suggested. It must've been someone in the cave. The white-eyed man attacked Lewis. Now Jade was dead.

Simon finished at last. The hole was probably three feet too deep. He resentfully chucked his shovel out of the hole, spraying dirt everywhere, then climbed out.

"Guys," Simon hollered, his voice cracking. "I'm finished." They seemed to hear him and began walking from the stronghold. Once they were all there, Simon gestured to Jade. He tried to make his funeral as respectful as he could, for Jade deserved it.

"We gather here today," Simon started quietly. The other three bowed their heads. Simon stopped.

"Screw it," Simon said, throwing aside his grief. "We're here because our partner, Jade, is dead. He was s important as all of us, and damn it, he didn't deserve to die this way. Right now, our goal is to stay alive and break the curse on this godforsaken island and get the hell off it. For Jade." he added. Lucy and Sasha acted stunned, but they knew they would've said the same things, though harsh for a ten-year-old's funeral. Lewis nodded, his face showing anger and grief.

"Rest in peace, Jade," Simon finished. He looked down at Jade's body one last time. Lucy was right. With closed eyes, he looked asleep. Simon picked up Jade and walked down into the hole, and Simon felt like he was walking into his own grave. Simon gently laid Jade's cold body on the soft dirt.

Simon couldn't take it anymore.

He scrambled out of the grave and began shoveling dirt back into the earth.

"I'll be back," Sasha promised before leaving to the stronghold. By the time she had returned, the grave had been refilled. Sasha appeared to be carrying a stony. She forced it into the ground with a grunt of anguish. Simon then noticed the inscription on the stone.

R.I.P Jade Sparks

2001 – 2011

Died in a noble effort to help his companions.

Simon couldn't help but allow a tear to leak from his eye. More tears fell from the gray sky above. The atmosphere expressed distaste in Jade's death as well. Soon, the whole field was covered in a cold and fitting drizzle. Simon placed three buttercups next to the gravestone. The quiet drizzle had had transformed into a drenching downpour. Lightning blasted the sky open, and thunder shook Simon's heart.

_Crack._ Lightning struck dangerously close to Lucy and Lewis, who were hugging. Lucy's face was buried in his shoulder.

_Crack._ The force of the next strike sent Simon flying through the air.

"This isn't natural!" cried Sasha as Simon landed hard on the ground.

_Crack. _Jade's gravestone cracked down the middle and was enveloped in a curious mist.

"What is that?" asked Lucy, frightened.

"You mean who?" Lewis corrected her. A man stood by Jade's grave. He turned. As he faced Simon, chills ran down his spine.

The last guest he had expected to show up at Jade's funeral was Sam Riddle himself.


	10. Sam Riddle

Chapter 10

Sam Riddle

Simon had forgotten about Sam Riddle's devilish power. He had forgotten that he was a now scrawny, eighteen year old young man and that Riddle was a fully-grown man with experience with murder. Before he could stop himself, Simon was running to Riddle. Riddle flicked his arm lazily and sent Simon twenty feet away.

Simon felt paralyzed with fear and hatred. He forced himself back up to watch Lucy suffer his same fate as she tried to knock out Riddle with a heavy branch.

"Stupid fools," hissed Riddle. "I don't wish to kill you." he added, flicking Lewis a couple of yards. What was this sorcery?

"It's only you I want." Riddle revealed as he looked at Simon with his evil red eyes. "Why would I kill your stupid friends?

"You killed Jade without a second thought," Simon spat back with the little air remaining in his chest.

"I cannot control my troops' thirst for blood, I am afraid," Riddle answered. "Why would I want to kill my precious and lovely daughter?" Riddle vanished in a cloud of black and appeared by Sasha.

"You'll come back to my castle with me, won't you, my pretty?" Sasha cringed.

"No." And with that, she punched him in the mouth.

"Such disloyalty I've never dreamed of." remarked Riddle, wiping the trickle of blood from his mouth.

"Why would you attack now?" Simon got up to his feet and summoned his strength and courage.

"It told me you were at your weakest! It has never lied before." answered Riddle. Simon was shocked he answered at all.

"It?"

"The orb! It tells me all…" Riddle boasted. "It gives me the most subtle prophecies."

"Like what?" asked Lewis.

"Like that you plan to attack me from behind with a cracked stone any second, Mr. Ordan," He wheeled around like lightning and lashed out with a kick that knocked Lewis unconscious.

"Oh, and my favorite prophecy," Riddle added. "'Scramble the scrambled savior!'"

"That makes no sense."

"Oh, doesn't it, Miss Baker?" challenged Riddle. Simon was getting sick of Riddle's games. The time was now to act. "This wonderful island is named Minos. I did not name it, though, the orb did. Minos, it said, should surely be its name. Tell me, what does an anagram mean to you?"

"A –erm –rearrangement of letters from one word to make another," Lucy said, confused by the sudden question.

"Good," Riddle said with mock-praise. "When the orb finally gave me this prophecy, I understood the scrambled savior clue. Minos. An anagram of your so called, 'savior.'" Simon thought hard as the fain flowed down into his face. When he could think no longer, everyone but the unconscious Lewis was staring at him.

"What is it?" asked Simon. He was appalled that Riddle hadn't killed them yet.

"Simon," Sasha explained with awe. "Minos is an anagram of your name." Simon's mind went numb.

"Well, yeah –no, I mean, -actually, I know it's my name, but I –I can't be very important!" Simon insisted, though he had started to accept this.

"Now, where was I?" Riddle said coldly. Just his speech made Simon nerves tingle. "Oh yes –my troops." He raised his finger into the sky.

"Now!" Riddle yelled. Nothing happened. Riddle appeared next to Sasha. He placed his pale hands on her shoulders.

"Get off of her, you lousy son of a –" Simon ran to Sasha.

A deafening crack of lightning exploded overhead; Simon was thrown backwards, the air flying out of his lungs. He jerked his head up. Riddle would not take Sasha as he had Jade. As this thought formed in Simon's head, the evil father and innocent daughter vanished in a puff of smoke. Another man landed in front of him.

"No! Sasha!" He lashed out with a kick at the man's legs. They made contact… in the most unexplainable way.

Simon's foot had pushed through his like it was air. He stared up at the man.

He looked frighteningly familiar. He had fair brown hair, which lead to the top of his eyebrows… a cyan shirt, jeans…and no pupils. This was the man with white eyes, the man from Simon's dream. The man responsible for the wounds of Lewis. If he supported Riddle, he was even responsible for Jade's death.

"What are you?" Simon asked, leaping to his feet quickly and getting a safe distance from him. "A ghost?" The man approached him at these words.

"Herobrine." He slapped Simon in the face coldly.

"What the hell is a –" started Simon before Lucy threw a rock at him. It hit him on the side of the head. Humans passed through 'Herobrines' but not other objects?

"Herobrine!" The man yelled again. He reached his hand around his back and unsheathed a glimmering blue sword.

"Run, Simon!" shouted Lewis. "It's _diamond_!" Simon ran to them.

"What are we going to do?" Simon cried. "We're unarmed!"

"Hold him off!" Lucy yelled. "I've got an axe, and I'm preparing some wooden swords!"

"Hurry up, Lucy!" called Simon as he dodged a ferocious swing of the Herobrine's blue blade.

"Simon, here!" Lucy tossed a wooden sword through the air.

She was terribly inaccurate. She missed Simon completely and the butt of the sword collided with the Herobrine's head.

"I'm the one and only… _Herobrine!_" screamed the man as his knees suddenly buckled. There was only one 'Herobrine.' Simon knew Herobrine wouldn't stay down long; he sprinted for the makeshift sword that Lucy had produced. Herobrine suddenly stood up. Lewis was working with Lucy to make more powerful weapons.

"Lewis, go to the house and get iron!" Lucy commanded. "Quick! Simon's life depends on it!"

"Gotcha!" Lewis said back.

Simon was in an intense sword battle with Herobrine. Every swipe Herobrine took was nerve racking, knowing it could cut through him easily. Each blow to Simon's weak wooden sword cut it, and Simon was being careful to not let him cut it twice in the same place, lest the sword would fall apart.

But his precautions were not enough. The sword cracked down the middle; it had defended his apparently soon ending life for a while, though. He held his broken sword, looking completely undaunted, though he felt the opposite inside. How was he supposed to defeat this seeming immortal being?

He looked to the forest area Lucy resided to give him backup help. She stared back at him; she couldn't help without the iron Lewis was retrieving. She whispered something to herself. Simon evaded a finishing blow across his head barely. He couldn't avoid Herobrine's attacks for long. Clearly, there was no escape. He wanted to just see Lucy's shining face one more time before the end…

"Simon, no!"

Herobrine miscalculated his final blow.

Simon felt the blunt edge of the sword hit him across the face. He had hit him with the flat end on accident. Simon was close to losing consciousness; his vision swam confusedly. He looked up at Herobrine, who thrust downwards at his head. Where the hell was Lewis? He couldn't survive another fifteen seconds without a new sword.

_A new sword…_

Simon attempted to kick Herobrine's sword hand to disarm him, but he quickly realized that a human couldn't touch him. His plan had failed. He couldn't dodge all day.

Herobrine took another rage filled swing at Simon. Realizing he would have to first stun him, Herobrine kicked at Simon's head. Simon's vision faded to darkness, but he could still feel the heavy rain pelting his face. There was a clash of swords. Struggling to see, Simon's eyes opened again to see some figure had stepped out to save him. No longer caring whether he lived or died, Simon laid his head down and faded into unconsciousness.

~O~

"Come on, get up." A voice awoke the unconscious Simon. Wet drops splashed onto his still closed eyelids. It was still pouring. He opened his eyes to see Lewis pulling him to his feet by his arm.

"What took you so long, Lewis?" Simon asked tiredly.

"Oh, nothing," Lewis said. "Are you okay, though?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Simon answered. "What happened?"

"Lewis fought off Herobrine for you," Lucy appeared to answer him.

"You killed him?" Simon said excitedly.

"No," Lewis replied. "But I cut him across the shoulder blade, so he fled." He twitched his left arm, which held a blue sword.

"Did you disarm him?" asked Simon.

"No," Lewis said again. "I forged it while you fought him off, which is why I took so long, I suppose."

"Maybe." Simon frowned.

"I would've given you the diamond sword if you weren't unconscious when I arrived. He almost got you, you know."

"Yeah, because I'm the best at sword fighting here." Simon said jokingly.

"Well, that was the basic idea." Lewis said seriously.

"I was joking…" Simon said, flattered.

"I wanted you to have this." Lewis extended his sword arm.

"No way," Simon said immediately, though just seeing the bright blue sword gleam excited him. "You made it, it's all yours, man."

"I think _you _need it more then he does, though." Lucy put in.

"Well… if you insist…" Simon said kindly. He took the sword from Lewis's hand. The sword immediately warmed him at his fingertips, which spread throughout every fiber in his body.

"Thank you," Simon said, unable to think of anything else to say to Lewis.

"We all did great!" exclaimed Lucy happily.

"I know!" Lewis said back.

"Yeah, we did! Lucy, you gave me the sword, I fought off Herobrine for a bit, Lewis drove him away, and Sasha –" Simon's lips suddenly froze in horror.


	11. Nether Realm

Chapter 11

Nether Realm

As soon as the now three teenagers entered the stronghold, Simon punched a wall.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Simon cried with anguish.

"Simon, you couldn't have stopped Riddle from kidnapping her, nobody could've!" Lewis tried to convince him.

"You did the best you could've! You saved my life! We'll save hers, Simon. She would be so proud of you." Lucy added.

"But it wasn't enough," Simon panted angrily. "I'm weak. Anyone worthwhile could've stopped that… that –" Simon swore at the top of his voice.

"If he hurts her in any way, he's dead." Simon said, dropping himself in a chair heavily. He breathed in slowly.

"Sorry for acting like this, guys, it's just –"

"We understand, Simon." Lewis said. "But I'm off to bed, it's a bit late."

"I guess I am, too." Lucy said. She hugged Simon. "We'll find her, and we'll wipe any trace of Riddle from this island, and history."

And with that, the other two went to bed, Simon soon following.

~O~

Simon didn't sleep well that night. He had hours on end to imagine what could be happening to Sasha while he slept comfortably. All the things he refused to imagine while conscious bounced around in his tormented head as he slept. Riddle could be torturing her, brainwashing her… even killing her. Simon awoke more than twice in that dark night.

He was grateful when the sun peered through his glass window. No more need to sleep, sleep-deprived as he might have actually been.

As Simon walked down into the kitchen, he expected a sizzling crackle emitting from the room, but as he entered, there was only silence. No Sasha to be there in the morning anymore. Simon shuffled over to the chest and drew out a couple of porkchops from the chest cabinet to the left of the furnaces. He opened the furnace and forked porkchops and coal into it, and sat down grumpily at the table.

About five minutes after the pork began cooking, Lewis and Lucy emerged from the staircase and sat down at the table with Simon, who refused to participate in their conversation. He was more satisfied with sitting in silence waiting for the pork to finish.

Another five minutes passed of Simon thinking of the traumatic black smoke into which Sasha had disappeared into before the furnace spat smoke, signaling that the porkchops had finished.

Simon withdrew the charred pork from the furnace spitefully and swore to himself quietly when he noticed how burnt it was.

"Sorry if the porkchops are terrible this morning," Simon said to Lewis and Lucy. "I'm not used to cooking."

"It's okay, Simon." It was almost the exact same story of yesterday. Simon was being foul, and he knew it perfectly well. It took true friends to tolerate him in these terrible days.

Simon had the crazy idea of taking up all of Sasha's responsibilities now that she was… away, to say the least. He almost thought it was like replacing her, calling her dead, and moving on, but he moved further past it to think of how Lewis and Lucy still needed some strong leadership.

After breakfast, Simon announced a mining trip, and he almost told Lewis to retrieve the tools. For some reason, Sasha had always been the authority on Minos, and it wasn't abnormal for her to give instructions, but for Simon to tell Lewis to do something without choice didn't seem appropriate.

Gathering up the tools, Simon set off into the cave with his friends, the couple.

"Have you changed your mind about leaving Minos, Simon?" asked Lucy suddenly.

"You think?" Simon responded immediately. When he had first re-met Lucy, he thought of staying on Minos for the rest of his life. Sasha's disappearance and Jade's death were two grim events that made the darkness of the disgusting island show through.

"Once we save Sasha, I'm getting off this damn island." Simon said darkly. The group of three hit the fork in the cave.

"You lead the way, Simon." Lewis said. Simon had half a mind to turn to Lewis and yell at him to stop feeling sorry for him. Deciding it was unjustifiably rude, he pulled out Sasha's map. Knowing Sasha's fingers had run along this map, he felt hope surge through him.

"The zombie spawner is this way," Simon said with an edge of strength to his voice. "I reckon we take out as many spawners as we can find, so we can reduce the monster population."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Simon?" Lucy put in. "We've gone from five to three in one day because of spawners, it'll clearly be more difficult." Simon was annoyed because of how correct she probably was; now that he was taking on Sasha's job, he had to put more sense into the choices he made.

"I think we should go regardless," Simon answered. "Zombies won't be goring us with arrows through the neck, so we'll be in less danger of death with that upside, and…" Simon withdrew his new diamond sword. "I think we'll have a bit of an easier time with killing the hordes of zombies off."

"I see your reasoning, Simon. Let's go."

~O~

They had no proof that there really was a spawner where the map had said, due to the fact that they hadn't seen the cobalt colored cage that created the zombies. But the zombie army they encountered had given them hope that there was something worth searching for behind the slimy walls of the cave.

They knew they would soon arrive, as the cave formed paths like the ones very close to the spawner in question on the map.

"Creeper!" Lewis suddenly yelled. Simon heard a deafening _BANG _behind him, and he dropped to the floor and covered his head. Rubble flew everywhere, and dust shook from the ceilings, obscuring his vision. He couldn't spot Lucy or Lewis. There was a heavy clang of metal. The dust showed no sign of clearing out. Silence, but Simon was still blinded.

"Lewis? Lucy? Are you okay?" Simon yelled. He was answered by more silence. Simon swallowed dust as a result of opening his mouth. He heard the muffled voice of Lewis.

"What?" Simon said. He ran to where he thought he heard Lewis, but he ran straight into a pile of rocks stacked into the cave roof. Not small rocks. Big boulders blockaded Simon's path back. He pressed his ear against the cold, hard rock.

"We're fine, Simon." Lewis said behind the wall. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Simon coughed. "How am I going to get back?" Simon paused, then found a more concerning issue.

"Are you guys going to be able to fight off anything that tries to get you back there?"

"I –I don't know, Simon!" Lucy answered. "Lewis's sword broke when he tried to kill the creeper, and we don't have spares. He's lost his pickaxe, too!"

"Hang on, then!" Simon said, readying his pickaxe. He swung it like a baseball bat. It connected loudly with the rock, and part of the wall broke. Simon suddenly realized he could've crushed one of them.

"Stand back, too!"

"Okay," Lewis said weakly, but his voice was a lot more recognizable with the new hole in the wall.

Simon continued to batter the wall for ten minutes, but to no avail.

"I…can't get anything else down," Simon panted. "Lucy, you try." Lucy had not been attacking it for ten minutes, though, so she broke the central rock in four swings. Simon helped her and Lewis through the small fence of rock.

"I've got no tools anymore," Lewis said. "I'm useless!"

"Not necessarily," said Simon, using his wits. He guided Lewis through the tunnel further. Zombie moans echoed off of the walls. Finally, Simon reached the area he had fought with a few zombies before. Lewis's old pickaxe and sword were both cold and impaling zombies that had been dead for days now.

"You forgot your tools when you ran from the huge zombie group, and so they're still here." Simon explained, pulling an old pickaxe out of a dead zombie's head. He handed it to Lewis. "Here."

"Erm… alright."

"Where are the zombies, though?" asked Lucy.

"I…" It was a good question. "I don't know. They should be here."

"Let's just keep going." Lewis decided.

~O~

After a twenty-minute period of wandering, they found no avail to any sort of spawner.

"Why can't we find it?" Simon said, frustrated.

"Did you know that there was an actual spawner?" Lewis asked.

"Well, I thought –"

"Did you _see _the spawner?" Lucy pushed.

"No!" Simon burst out. "I'm wrong! I'm always wrong!" In his fury, Simon struck the wall with his pickaxe. The wall cracked and crumbled. To his shock, there was something behind it.

It was another cave, but there was something glowing at the end. A mysterious purple light emanated from the back of the cave. Simon slowly began navigating the tunnel, marking each twist and turn on Sasha's map.

"What is this place?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know," Simon answered. "Let's see where it leads, though."

Once they reached the end of the cave, Simon saw a six feet tall wall of purple. It didn't seem like it was any sort of matter.

"What is that?" asked Lewis.

"It doesn't look like anything normal," Simon said obviously. Black surrounded the strange purple nothingness. He slowly approached it. Simon extended his arm to touch the purple substance, but Lucy slapped his arm down.

"What are you doing?" demanded Lucy. "It could be dangerous! Who knows what it may unleash if you touch it?"

"We'll never know unless we try," Simon answered.

"I second that," Lewis supported. "Anyone want to go first?"

"I'll do it," Simon said solemnly. "What else have I got to lose?" Lucy watched silently with her hand to her mouth as Simon walked into the purple material.

~O~

Simon was instantly overwhelmed by the sudden burst of heat that washed over him after stepping into the purple mesh. He cried out, wondering if he was dying. The minute of heat came and went, and Simon looked around his surroundings. They had changed drastically from the normal cave he had left in. Wherever he was, it was clearly not the same world it was before. The purple substance was a portal.

Simon was encased in a red stone rather then the standard gray zone. It was completely bright, but there was no apparent source. Simon walked through an alcove that was barely large enough for him to fit through. What he saw made him almost cry out.

He was in a living hell. Lava poured from crevices in the roof two hundred feet above Simon's head into an ocean of the same thing. There were glowing stalactites lining the red ceiling, and the ground had random patches of mud on it.

"Where am I?" Simon asked himself. He looked to his right, sweating profusely. He saw a zombie with some sort of defense. To his horror, he realized it was a golden sword. The zombie approached him slowly, and Simon noticed his face was not the usual decrepit human's.

The zombie was pig-faced. It had a tear through its torso that no other average zombie Simon had seen before. The pig zombie was now inches from Simon, but it had made no move to attack him. The pig zombie sniffed Simon's neck curiously, snorted, and walked away.

Simon was overjoyed that the pig zombies didn't appear to be hostile unless, he assumed, attacked. He looked back to the lava sea, and suddenly noticed a flame flying straight for him. Instinctively, Simon slashed his diamond sword at hit.

The flame bounced off his sword with all of Simon's effort, and flew back across the see. Something was clearly attacking him.

A flying creature glided into view and shrieked. Simon covered his ears; the creature's yell was unbelievably loud and terrified as if he had been more hurt than Simon. It was a white squid shape creature who showed no sort of device to fly, but mysteries on this island weren't the most strange thing to find anymore. The creature was positively ghastly.

Simon realized that he had to report this nether realm of hell to Lewis and Lucy. He ran back into the portal to his comrades.

~O~

"It's a living hell." These were Simon's first words as he exited the nether portal.

"What do you mean?" asked Lucy.

"Fire and lava _everywhere_," Simon explained. "Neutral zombies, and hostile octopi!" Lewis gaped at Simon.

"Sounds like you were tripping out, man." Lewis said.

"Fine then!" Simon said. "Come with me; you'll see!" Simon grabbed Lewis and Lucy by their arms and forced them into the nether portal against their will.

~O~

As soon as they emerged from the portal, Lucy screamed, and Lewis fell over onto the red ground. They both succumbed to the shock of massive heat immediately. Once they had both recovered, Simon led them to the lava sea. They both stared into its fiery depths; they were clearly speechless that Simon was telling the truth. He showed his two friends a pig zombie, and no strange squids seemed to appear.

"Where are those squids you were talking about?" Lewis said curiously.

"I… I don't know." Simon said back.

As if on call, a squid flew through the air above them and shot a fireball straight at the blood red stone. Simon pushed them out of the way and leapt to cover.

"It's ghastly!" Lucy cried.

"My exact thoughts!" Simon yelled back through the explosion and flames.

"So what do we do about this ghast?" asked Lewis.

"I don't know," Simon said carefully. "But their fireballs bounce off of sword blades." To show them, Simon picked his tools up and brushed himself off. He walked directly into the ghast's line of sight. Instinctively, the ghast fired a fireball straight for him. Simon swung his sword at the ball of flame and rebounded it off his blade. The ball soared from the flat of his sword back to the ghast. It collided with its face; the ghast gave a tortured scream and fell down into the lava sea, disintegrating as soon as it came in its contact.

"Wow," said Lucy.

"Those things are pretty damn creepy," muttered Lewis.

"I've yet to find anything worthwhile in this place," Simon explained. He pointed up. "…with the exception of those glowing rocks." Simon climbed up to high ground with his pickaxe and broke the unfathomable rock. It cracked in two, its contents spilling all over the nether's floor.

"Take it home," Simon said to his companions.

"Gotcha," Lewis said, shoveling handfuls of the glowing dust into his pockets.

Finally, with Lewis and Lucy accompanying him, Simon left the nether to the stronghold with the strange new nether weighing heavily on his mind.


	12. Zombies

Chapter 12

Zombies

Simon and his friends arrived back in Sasha's stronghold carrying pocketfuls of glowstone dust and hellstone. Simon had noticed that it was an extremely flammable rock that seemed to burn forever.

"Well, I'm off for the night," Lewis announced. "Good night."

"Me too, Simon." Lucy said, following Lewis.

"Good night, you two."

Simon sat upstairs by their rooms in a chair by the crafting table, the glowstone dust and hellstone strewn across the entirety of the workbench. He frowned. There must've been some way to use these for _something._ He took a saw and cut a glass piece in half, then proceeded to stuff it with the mystical glowing dust. He sealed the glass tightly, now holding up what seemed to be a glowing block. Smiling at his ingenuity, he took it to his room, placed it under his bed, and fell asleep with the first sparks of happiness he had felt in days.

~O~

The next morning after a better breakfast than yesterday's, Simon took a pickaxe and sword and headed into the mineshaft by himself. Although Lewis and Lucy protested against this, Simon did it regardless.

He regretted it almost immediately. He slipped on his way down the stairs, tumbling down six steps. It was as if he needed his two friends to come with him. Simon ignored this sign and continued into a cave branch that he had never explored. Halfway through the tunnel, he saw splotches of dried blood. Clearly, this had been where Herobrine had attacked Lewis, otherwise something was terribly wrong.

As Simon continued, he heard menacing growls echo off of the cave walls. He crossed paths with zombies occasionally, but with his diamond sword, they were no match.

He came to a fork in the road, and Simon took the left, where he heard the faintest trickling of water. The cave was getting more and more humid as he continued, and he marked every aspect of the cave's direction on Sasha's map. More zombie growls came from every direction. Simon leapt back, frightened by the sudden uproar. Was this where the zombie spawner really was?

His question was answered by the horde of zombies appearing from a tiny, fiery light. Simon's first instinct was to shout; to yell out. But he stopped himself, aware that he would alert all of the zombies to his presence. Simon crouched behind a rock. He had found the spawner. He contemplated whether he should take it out himself, or go back to Lewis and Lucy. Surely, if he tried alone, it would result in his demise.

Simon thought for a moment about the freedom of death. He would never have to feel pain again, he wouldn't have to miss Sasha, he wouldn't have to be stuck on Minos, and he wouldn't have to kill Riddle.

The thought was very tempting. Simon could already feel the warm hands of Death closing around him, welcoming him, and he imagined leaving life behind.

The thought was comforting. Simon stood up, and began walking towards the spawner slowly and silently.

_Good-bye. _The first zombie saw him. Soon, he was being swarmed with vast multitudes of the undead. He shut his eyes tight, trying to ignore the snarling and spitting of the zombies'.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lewis leapt out from behind a wall with an iron sword, along with Lucy. He beheaded four zombies with a single stroke, and soon enough, Lucy and Lewis had fought the entire crowd of zombies. They pulled a distant Simon to safety, who seemed to pay no attention to them, the zombies, or any of his surrounding. He looked as if he was already dead, staring off into space. Lewis wondered for a moment if a zombie had already infected him.

Suddenly, Simon snapped back to the present, shaking his head.

"Hey," Simon said casually. "What're you doing here?"

"We knew you'd do _something _stupid, Simon," Lucy replied. "We had to follow you to make sure you would be okay."

"What just happened?" asked Lewis. "You looked as if you were trying to kill yourself, walking into those zombies with no effort to save yourself."

"I…" Simon refused to tell them he was actually trying to kill himself. "I must've been daydreaming."

"Be more careful," lectured Lucy.

It was suddenly clear to Simon that suicide wasn't the answer. Friends surrounded him, though he took it for granted. He finally knew that he had to cope with his situation.

"I'm sorry." Simon said finally. "What d'you say, should we take the zombie spawner?"

"I'd say we're pretty well prepared," remarked Lewis.

"Let's do this." Lucy said confidently. The couple began walking forward.

"Wait," Simon stopped them. "I've been taking you for granted lately, and I just want you guys to know that you're the best friends anyone could ever ask for."

There was silence.

"You're a great friend, too, Simon." replied Lewis.

"You've been my friend since first grade, Simon." Lucy said. "I _know _I'm a good friend." she joked.

"Long story short, don't get killed." Simon jested.

"We'll try our best." Lewis laughed.

Putting the humor aside, the three of them all charged towards the spawner, swords and pickaxes at the ready.

All hell broke loose.

Lucy was immediately horded by zombies, and Lewis rescued her. Simon tried to push through the zombie crowd, but they forced him out of the dungeon, leaving his comrades trapped in it. Simon forced himself in. He felt the hot, rancid breath of the zombies. Lewis and Lucy were nowhere to be found. Simon's legs grew hotter and hotter. With shock, he realized that he was nearing the spawner. His diamond sword fell out of his hand and flew out of the dungeon. A zombie attempted to bite Simon, but Simon had retaliated with a crushing kick to the mouth.

Simon grabbed desperately for his pickaxe, to break the spawner, to know that his only friends left were alive and well. He raised his pick, but a zombie pushed his arm backwards, nearly breaking it. Yells of Lucy and shouts from Lewis echoed through his head.

In his fury, Simon parried the zombie's attempt to cripple him by throwing his entire body weight on the pickaxe blow. The pick swept through the interfering zombie's head and crashed into the cage.

Screams rent the air that sounded vaguely like Riddle as the pickaxe came crashing down into the spawner. The zombies all disappeared suddenly, the room grew dramatically hot, and then everything was silent.

Simon couldn't see Lewis or Lucy; his vision was failing. He was exhausted. Unable to take any more battle, Simon leaned over sideways and collapsed on the ground unconscious.

~O~

Simon awoke in his bed, his diamond sword and iron pickaxe both propped against the wall in his room. He sighed with relief.

_I got to my bed, which must mean someone brought me here. _He made sense of things. _Which means Lewis and Lucy are okay! _As the though occurred, shivers rippled down his spine. _It doesn't mean both of them, though._

But, low and behold, as Simon found himself in the kitchen, he spotted both of his friends. Strangely, though, they were sitting on opposite sides of the table, turned the wrong way, and had their arms crossed. Their faces both expressed raw fury.

"What's the matter?" Simon asked suddenly.

"Me and Lewis have just been quarreling." Lucy said shortly. Simon was dumbstruck. They hadn't been fighting since they met; something was terribly wrong.

"What _specifically?_" Simon pushed.

"Nothing specifically." Lewis's voice emanated from across the table. "We just haven't been agreeing on things lately." His voice was stern.

"Well…" Simon wasn't sure how to respond. "We destroyed the zombie spawner!" he said excitedly.

"Mhm." Lucy grumbled.

Simon groaned internally. Was this how he had been treating them when Sasha was kidnapped?

Something shook his world more fiercely. Originally, they had to destroy only one more spawner: the creeper one. But would the nether have its own dungeon for the ghasts?

Then something personal struck his heart. Were Lucy and Lewis actually broken up, or were they giving Simon a taste of his own medicine?


	13. Blood Moon

Author's Note: I'm back! After studying in school and leading my crazy life, I've finally returned! It's Spring Break for me, and I intend to write, write, write!

Chapter 13

Blood Moon

The next few days at the stronghold were unpleasant. Lucy and Lewis snapped at Simon whenever he spoke to them. Neither of them spoke. Simon learned to cope with the fact that his two friends were now enemies. Or so it seemed.

Simon had the lurking suspicion that they were doing this to show him how much of a downer he had been once Sasha had disappeared. He thought long and hard about this, but he had no answers.

Finally, he convinced them all to go mining together by saying that if they broke all of the spawners, they could get off of the island and never speak again. They agreed to this.

All in all, though, the mining expedition was unsuccessful. They found no such creeper spawner. Unfortunately, all of the caves had hit a dead end.

Simon didn't know what to do anymore. Sasha would know what to do, had she been here. Her supposedly infinite cave had run out.

It was like trying to walk through a brick wall. Simon stared out of the stronghold, and into the night sky.

Something bugged him. The moon seemed furious. It had turned blood red, and now it was casting the same color all through the sky.

"Lucy, Lewis, check this out!" Simon called, not looking away from the window.

Seemingly just to be difficult, they both chose different windows to look at the dark sky.

"What's going on?" asked Lucy.

"The moon's all red…" Lewis muttered to himself. Lucy turned to him and slapped him upside the head.

"I could tell!" Lucy said angrily.

"I was talking to myself!" Lewis protested.

"Both of you shut up," Simon grunted. "What do you think it means?"

Simon's question was immediately answered with the sudden swarm of creepers that began approaching the house. All three teens dove for cover beneath tables.

"Abnormally high monster appearances?" Lewis suggested.

"I had no idea!" Simon said sarcastically.

The first explosion tore through the room.

"Run!" cried Lucy.

The band ran up to the top floor and thrust their hands into their personal chests; Simon withdrew his diamond sword and clasped it heavily in his hand. Surely, this was his only hope.

_Sssss… _A creeper was climbing up the stairs slowly. Lucy and Lewis were both hopelessly checking for a weapon in their chests; it was clear they hadn't stockpiled any weapons in their chests.

_Boom. _The creeper exploded before it was in Simon's field of vision. He felt doomed. Was there any way for he and his friends to survive the creeper bombardment?

Half of the stairs were missing. Part of the top floor was missing, and Simon could hear the footsteps of creepers pouring into the bottom floor.

_Boom. _Another explosion beneath him. Holes appeared in the floor, and memories came flooding back to him from when he had met Sasha.

"_You could live with me, if you'd like." _Simon's heart wrenched painfully. Sasha and he had put so much work into this place… now he was allowing it to be destroyed before his eyes. Simon looked down at his finger. There was still a scar from when he had stabbed himself with a nail as he built this floor.

Simon shook his head angrily. He wasn't going to let this happen.

He was still glad to see that Lewis and Lucy were able to collaborate in a life-threatening situation; Lucy had made two iron swords for herself and Lewis.

"Let's go." Simon's voice was steady, though it seemed impossible to stop it from shaking.

"I'm ready." Lucy couldn't contain her fear in her voice. Simon hopped into the crater left by the first creeper.

_Boom._

"Come on!" urged Simon. He wouldn't stand for the destruction of this beautiful place that so much effort had been put into. Simon rushed down the stairs with Lucy and Lewis following close behind him. He peered around the corner. To his dismay, the door had exploded, and three creepers were pouring into the stronghold.

"What do we do?" cried Lucy.

"I'll take the one on the left," Lewis suggested.

"I'll take the middle, then." Simon agreed. Lucy nodded.

"Three, two, one!" Simon and his friends had the upper hand; the element of surprise. Simon easily sliced the creepers head off with a simple stroke of his sword. Lewis did, too. Lucy, however, didn't have the same luck. She miscalculated her blow and struck the creeper in the shoulder. It hissed loudly. Simon and Lewis recoiled, but Lucy's hands were bolted to her blade. There was a deafening _BANG _and smoke shrouded the room.

"No!" cried Lewis. Simon stood completely still, all of his extremities instantly numbing.

_No…_ Simon told himself. _If anyone could've survived that, it would be Lucy. _His self-assurance wasn't working too well. Perhaps she had cheated death one too many times.

There was a croak from the pit.

"Help." Hope sparked through Simon's body, and he hopped nimbly into the hole. Lucy's skin was blackened in some places from the ash and from the initial explosion.

"Lucy, it's alright, we'll help you," Simon told her, his voice trembling. He peeked out of the crater left by now to creepers into the hellish outside world. Four creepers were approaching the stronghold, clearly attracted by Lewis, who was standing directly in their line of sight.

"Leave her!" Lewis said suddenly. Disgruntled, Simon turned to Lewis.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Simon said, disgusted. "She's a human being!"

"Help." Lucy said again hopefully.

"How are you going to get out?" Lewis tried to reason.

"You've had some rough times with her, but there's no damn reason to leave her here!" Simon couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was the stress of being on this island getting to him? Or was his heart truly filled with cruel hatred?

"Help me and Lucy up," Simon said, also throwing in a few curses and shooting a glare at the inhumane Lewis Ordan. Lucy coughed weakly. The four creepers were only yards away.

"Help me up!" cried Simon. "You're quarrel's not with me!" Lucy's eyes flashed fearfully. Lewis reached down to grab Simon's hand, and he began pulling him up. Suddenly, Simon grabbed Lucy's ankle.

"Why are you so heavy suddenly?" Lewis grunted. The creepers were climbing into the hole…

"No!" Simon could take another hit. Thinking quickly, he hopped behind Lucy and threw her over the top of the hole, using all of the strength he could muster.

_BANG. _More smoke. Simon's left leg was charred and red. He looked up at Lewis, his eyes flaring angrily, though with the soot filling the air so freshly, Simon struggled to keep them open.

"Help me up."

"Gotcha." Lewis said, pulling him out of the hole. Two of the other creepers that hadn't exploded had died from their ally's combustion. Simon grabbed Lucy's shoulder and Lewis's neck collar and led them down the stairs.

"Let's go! Come on, it's not safe!" Simon pulled them down into the mine in the bottom of the kitchen.

"Where are we going?" cried a limping Lucy.

"I'm not sure," Simon said honestly, "Away from here. There are too many creepers!"

Soon enough, Simon and his friends were able to find a dead end in the cave. Lewis salvaged some sticks and Simon tried as hard as possible to take coal bits out of the wall.

"Come on," he grunted through clenched teeth. Finally, a large piece fell out.

"Light it," coughed Lucy, who was lying against the gray wall.

"Gotcha." Lewis said, taking his sticks and Simon's coal and rubbing them together. A spark emitted from the edge of the stick, and it was set aflame.

"Put it down," Simon said, "We're going to have to stay here for a while… until morning, at the very least. We'll be fine."

"So long as we don't go hungry…" Lewis pointed out.

"Lucy, get some rest. We'll all take shifts." decreed Simon.

"Okay. Thanks, Simon…" and with this, Lucy closed her eyes and began sleeping.

"Simon, you go to sleep, too." said Lewis, "I'll take the first watch."

"Really?" asked Simon, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, of course." Simon looked over at Lucy, who was sleeping.

"First, why didn't you save Lucy?" Simon pushed Lewis against the wall and held him up by the scruff of his shirt.

"Wh-what?" cried Lewis.

"Lucy could've _died._" Simon said angrily, "Why didn't you help her out of the pit where the creeper had blown up?"

"I- I don't know what you're talking about!" insisted Lewis.

"Oh, I think you do," Simon continued, though he was suddenly unsure about this, "You're the one who did it!"

"She's right there! She's sleeping! Lucy's fine!" said Lewis.

"That's because _I _saved her, not you," Simon persisted, "You refused to help her. She's my best friend, you know, and as a best friend, I've got obligations, something you may think you have the right to ignore."

"Simon!" cried Lewis, "I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about!"

Simon stared deep into Lewis's eyes for a while, still holding him up. He dropped him, and Lewis fell down on the cold floor.

"I'll let this slide…" Simon said, "For now. But I need rest. You're taking first shift, remember?"

"How could I forget…" Lewis muttered to himself as he stood up and brushed dirt and dust off of his clothes. Simon sat against the wall near Lucy and closed his eyes. He began to think as he pretended to sleep.

What if Lewis was telling the truth? Was there something going on with him? Simon could think of only one word… possession.

It seemed completely possible. Sam Riddle's powers may well have extended beyond commanding monsters, weather and teleporting. Perhaps Lucy and Lewis had been in a bad mood because Sam Riddle had been controlling their thoughts and actions.

Simon decided he actually needed the rest, so he cleared his minds of all of the dark thoughts he had imagined and drifted off into sleep.

As Simon entered his dream, he found himself in a dark cave made of blood-red stones. Feeling unsafe, he ran out of the cave. What he saw made him wish he had stayed there.

There was a huge castle made of dark red bricks with fire bordering the top guard towers and the wall itself. Ghasts flew around and screeched violently.

Simon was in the Nether.

But what was this castle doing here? As Simon continued to examine the structure he saw a strange monster he had never seen before. Its eyes were visible, but it seemed to be missing a body behind the swirl of fire surrounding it. It shot a fireball at him, but Simon dodged quickly.

"I see you've met my blazes," called a familiar voice. Simon jumped to attention and looked around wildly. But the voice seemed to be disembodied, and it had gone already. Deciding that there was nothing else to do, Simon sprinted into the castle to investigate, knowing that there must've been something going on in it. As he came inside, he encountered a maze of different rooms. The floor lit up yellow and curved into a room, which Simon felt drawn to. Stepping into the room, he realized there were land mines and traps hidden all over it. Surprisingly, the floor lit up again and led him all around the traps.

This continued for another fifteen minutes or so, until Simon found himself in a room with a bloodstone staircase, leading up to a throne with fiery edges. Sitting upon the throne was Sam Riddle himself.

"You found me," Riddle said, "Even in your dreams, I haunt you."

"My dreams…?" Simon asked himself before realizing he was asleep. "Are you actually here? Or are you a projection of who I think you are?"

"Oh, I assure you, I'm really in your dream. The real me." Riddle replied.

"You son of a…" Simon ran forward up the stairs and threw a fist at Riddle. Riddle disappeared. He reappeared at the top of his throne. He jumped down and kicked Simon in the face, sending him tumbling down the stairs.

"Is there something wrong?" the voice that had spoken to Simon earlier came back.

"Sasha?" cried Simon.

"Something wrong, father?" Sasha appeared at the top of the stairs alongside Riddle and looked down at Simon. Her eyes had turned red, and she was dressed in all black.

"What…?" gasped Simon. "No…. she's not real… she's a projection of what I think has happened… no, no, no!"

"Him again?" Sasha sighed, "This ought to be easy."

"No, please, Sasha!" cried Simon. Sasha snapped her fingers. Two creatures appeared on either side of Riddle's throne, which he had sat upon again.

The creatures were tall, with skinny, large legs and elevated torsos, leading up to their heads, where no mouth or nose was visible, but only their purple eyes. They were emitting a purple particle from their completely night-black bodies as well. They stood by the throne and did not move.

"What are you doing?" asked Sasha, "Get a move on, Endermen!" They sat still like statues. Simon looked into the left "Enderman's" eyes, and the monster stared right back. Once Simon broke eye contact, the Enderman disappeared. Confused, Simon looked and broke eye contact with the other one, who mimicked his friend.

"Where…?" Simon spun around in confusion. Both Endermen emerged from thin air and began speeding towards Simon, their mouths open and making hungry growling sounds. Their arms were outstretched.

"No!" cried Simon as an Enderman grabbed him and hoisted into the air. Everything went dark.


	14. Remains

Authors Note: I'm back! Again! Busy, busy, busy me had forgotten to update this story. But here it is, in full glory, the return of the Island of Minos! Enjoy!

Chapter 14

Remains

Simon awoke with a start and sat bolt upright. Lewis spun quickly to react to the noise and saw Simon.

"It's not your shift yet, you know." Lewis informed him.

"Yeah, I know, it's just… never mind. You can have some rest." offered Simon.

"Uh… alright." Lewis walked over to the wall as Simon stood up and took his place as the guard.

Images of his dream drifted through his head. Sasha, with her blood-red eyes and black clothes, the way she spoke with hatred towards Simon. What had Riddle done to her? Was it only a dream? He shuddered when he thought of Sasha really being loyal to her father.

~O~

When the trio was sure it was morning, they left the cold, dark cave and went up into the now destroyed house. It was almost as if one of Simon's first dreams had come true. He climbed up the stairs with Lewis, and together they helped up Lucy with her injured leg.

"We have no time to waste anymore," Simon announced, "We are going to die if we don't come up with a game plan to kill Riddle and all of his minions."

"That's been clear this whole time we've been on this island, Simon, the question is how are we going to do that?" Lewis said.

"We need powerful swords," decided Lucy, "Simon's already got a diamond sword, so he's rather set in that category. Lewis, we need to get something at least made of iron."

"Good idea," Simon agreed, "Do we still have our bows?"

"We may have lost those in the explosions last night." explained Lewis solemnly.

"Oh, no," said Simon in dismay, "We can make new ones."

"What about shelter? This is completely destroyed!" asked Lucy.

"It may look complicated, but the architectural structure is rather simple to me. If we just gather the right supplies, me and Lewis could fix the place up in no time, assuming we don't have another creeper invasion."

"Well, you're going to have to explain that to me, because I don't really get it…" Lewis mumbled, ashamed.

"It's alright. Lucy, do you think you can walk?" Simon inquired.

"Not quickly, but I don't think I'm hurt that bad. I just can't climb, that's all." she reported.

"Do you have an idea on how long it will take to heal?" Lewis persisted.

"I don't really know, but I'm assuming it'll only take a week or two." guessed Lucy.

There was silence from all three of the teens who had nearly died the previous night. They all stared at each other grimly.

"We're all messy. Lucy, you can take the first bath. Get washed up." Simon said.

"I wanted the first bath…" muttered Lewis.

"Shut up. Lewis, we get to gather supplies to try and fix up the house." declared Simon. Lucy stumbled out of the destroyed exit and around the mountain to the tub.

"Alright, Lewis, you've got two choices. You can either survey the damage, or you can start getting supplies to start the fixing of the stronghold."

"I… I think I'll gather supplies. What should I be getting?"

"Go cut down some trees and get us some wood, and gather some stone, too."

"Aye, aye, cap'n." Lewis said as he went up the broken stairs to get an axe and pickaxe. Simon stood in the damaged common room for a while, still as a statue, before he snapped into the reality. They may never be able to repair this stronghold. Simon shook his head and maneuvered down the destroyed wooden steps into the kitchen to see the destruction.

Bits of ovens and rubble were strewn across the room. The table was flipped over, the chairs askew and there was a large crater by the stairs to the mine. The torches were lying down on the burnt stones. Simon watched as one flickered and died.

"So we'll need some stone, coal, some dirt and sticks." he told himself. He picked up the table and laid it across the untouched tiles and pushed the chairs under it. It was the least he could do.

As Simon trekked up the stairs again, he made a note to himself to craft more stairs, as to avoid falling in the pits where the steps were missing.

There was a massive hole where there should have been a door, and the actual door was lying in splinters inside of the crater he had rescued Lucy from the night before. He turned around to look at his room, which he noticed was somehow completely unscathed. He let free a breath of relief. Jade's old room had been entirely destroyed. Simon held his breath as sobs threatened to rack his body. First Jade, then the gravestone, now his room. All evidence of Jade seemed to be gone forever.

Simon went up another flight of stairs to the third floor, where he saw the floor had been destroyed and Lewis's room was slightly damaged. He noticed half of a chest was lying in a crater and that it had fallen open and its contents had spilled out. Simon climbed into the crater and examined the chest's items. Among them was the string from the spider spawner, an amiable amount of coal and there was something buried deep undnerneath all of the other things. Simon thrust his hands deep into the mountain of supplies and withdrew a dusty, blue diamond. He blew off the particles and the diamond glimmered in the torchlight once more. Setting the chest upright, Simon began putting the things back into the chest, as to establish some order in the wrecked house.

As he stepped out of the crater, he examined the hole in the floor. He could see that the crater he had been in moments ago was not located over the common room like the holes in the floor were. The destroyed wooden floor had sent splinters everywhere and the nails were stuck into walls and chests. Simon walked over to the wall and pulled out a rather strange, red looking nail and examined it closely. He felt sick as he realized that it was the nail he had hit himself with as Sasha had asked if he wanted to live with her. He remembered it like it was just a day ago, the first day they had met. Much to Simon's dismay, the nail was unusable and bent. He bit his lip and dropped the nail. Blinking back tears, he took a pickaxe out of an undestroyed chest and went into the mine to start gathering stone.


	15. Risk

Chapter 15

Risk

Simon awoke the next morning from an unusual night; one of uninterrupted sleep. No bad dreams, no wake-ups; just sleep. He felt proud of the progress he and Lewis had made yesterday, for they had finished half of the kitchen and fixed both flights of stairs, for Lucy's sake. As the three sat around the cleaned breakfast table, they felt like they were at home again. They ate their bread slices and pork and began to plot and plan.

"Lucy, are you any good with a shovel?" After some coercing, Lucy agreed to fill the upstairs crater with dirt, which Lewis would cover up with wooden planks. Simon was assigned the task of making the new door and doorframe. Since Simon believed that it would be an easy job, he also volunteered to go mining for iron, and if they were lucky, diamonds.

And easy the task was. Simon looked in Sasha's room and found blueprints for the previous door and set himself to work with his iron tools. After forty five minutes of strenous and precise whittling, the door was complete and the doorframe was already planned out.

"Lewis, would you mind nailing in the door, so I can get a longer mining trip in?" asked Simon.

"I guess I could." Lewis accepted. Simon ran upstairs to the still-damaged top floor and retrieved his mining tools. He strapped his iron shovel to his back and put his sword and pickaxe in either hand. Simon walked down the stairs to see Lucy sitting and resting while Lewis carefully nailed the door into the frame.

"See ya!" Simon called as he went downstairs.

"Wait!" cried Lucy. Simon poked his head into her sight.

"What is it?"

"You forgot the map."

"Oh, I guess I did…" Simon admitted. Lucy leaned into the table and rolled up the map on it, then threw it to him. He took the map and then left, saying,

"See ya… really, this time."

~O~

As Simon wandered through the mine with his tools, he stopped every now and again to listen for creepers. Eventually, he decided that he was safe due to the light.

Further down into the core of the earth Simon trekked, hoping soon to find some valuable minerals to aid him and his friends. Occasionally, he would happen across a vein of iron, but unfortunately he found nothing truly significant.

As Simon was mining out what he thought should be his last excursion with his pickaxe for the day, he heard a faint hissing behind him. Startled, he turned to stare into the deep, unfathomably black eyes of a creeper. The green monster exploded and propelled him backwards into the wall, nearly knocking him out. The wind in his lungs escaped him as he slid to the floor. Stars winked in front of his eyes.

"Unh…"

_CLUNK_. Simon slowly turned to his right to see the iron end of his spade had fallen off when he had made impact with the wall.

"Damn it." He took the handle and detached from his straps and left it next to the head of the shovel and leaned against the stone to regain his breath.

After a minute or so, he finished mining the iron ore out of the wall and stood still for a moment, contemplating his next decision. He could either keep mining, leave, or even riskier… take a hike into the Nether.

Ever since his dream while sleeping in the cave, Simon had the lurking suspicion that Riddle's base was located somewhere in the vast hell that was the Nether. The "Endermen," the "Blazes," everything would be waiting for him in his castle.

Simon knew he would have to destroy the Ghasts to get through to the castle that Riddle had recruited – no, _imprisoned _Sasha in. Otherwise, Simon could vividly imagine himself being completely pulverized by the murderous fireballs the Ghasts emit from their mouth.

Deciding against his good judgment, Simon looked for where he had marked the Nether portal on the map and began to navigate over to it.

~O~

Simon found his way to the mysterious purple portal within ten minutes easily, as he had come this way many times before. Disregarding any last chances to turn around, he walked into the ominous portal. He emerged in the same spot he had every other time, and took a moment to adjust to the insanely high amounts of heat. He flipped over his map and began to sketch a rough outline of the portal at the bottom of the page.

"We have to start somewhere," Simon told himself. He slowly stepped onto the red stones and began to trace a path around the Nether.

Less than five minutes into his journey, he was confronted by a group of Ghasts. He quickly stowed his map in his pocket and drew his sword, ready to strike at any given moment. The Ghasts stared at him for a second, then began to shoot fireballs. Simon easily deflected the first three shots and sent them spiralling away into the roof and walls. The last one caught him off guard. Unable to counter, Simon jumped in an attempt to maneuver away from the flaming projectile. The fireball seared the back of his shirt, burning him ever so slightly. Simon bit his lip. Another fireball was coming towards him. He calculated his swing and hit the ball away, back into the Ghast who had fired it.

"Return to sender," Simon snickered. The Ghast was set ablaze and crashed into the sea of lava the Nether surrounded. The other Ghasts saw this and began to assault Simon with a frenzy of different attacks, all with pinpoint timing so that Simon could not deflect them all. He, however, began to predict their plans and was able to pick them off, one by one, until there was only one Ghast left. It watched as its last comrade fell, then realized that it wouldn't be able to kill him with a fireball.

Simon and the Ghast locked eyes for a brief moment, then the Ghast lunged at him. Simon did not expect this sort of attack; instinctively, he drew his sword. The Ghast was quickly approaching him, giving him no time to develop a plan. Without thinking, Simon jumped from his pedestal, over the sea of lava, and plunged his diamond sword into the Ghast.

The Ghast cried out in pain and began to fly around wildly. It rammed into wall after wall, with Simon still holding on, yelling loudly.

Walls began to crumble as the Ghast slammed into them with such force that they could no longer stand. Eventually, the wounded Ghast gave up and stopped flying, and it began plummeting into the sea of lava. When Simon saw this, he put his foot down onto the Ghast and pulled out his sword and began to freefall.

He struggle with the pickaxe on his back and he tried to start some forward momentum. The pickaxe was free of its restraints and Simon was flailing his arms wildly. The sea of lava was naught but 4 stories away. He sheathed his sword and put both hands on his pickaxe, swinging it forward. It caught the edge of the hellstone, but quickly broke due to the impact's pressure. As Simon began to fall, he threw his hands up and grabbed the stone as he heard the bubble and sizzle of his pickaxe falling into the lava. Soon, he pulled himself up, breathing heavily.

"I'm… I'm gonna pass out…" Simon sat down against the wall and gasped for air, now sweating profusely. It took him only moments to realize that he now only had a sword and a map.

"I've gotta go back…" There was no point in denying that Simon wouldn't survive much longer in the Nether. His wild ride on the Ghast had brought him to some unknown territory of the underworld. All he could see was the faint purple glow of the portal, about a mile across the lava sea. He looked up to survey the area he was in, and at the same time, saw what he had came for.

The Ghast spawner.

Simon stared for a moment in awe, but then drew it in on his map. He started to wonder why no Ghasts were appearing, but then the Nether began to rumble. Sand poured from the top of hell and began burying Simon alive.

_Why did my shovel have to break? _Simon thought to himself as he fought desperately against the sand. He soon broke free of the trap and Ghasts began to appear in abundance around the spawner. Simon looked around frantically and saw an almost clear path around the sea of lava. Not looking back, he sprinted away. He could hear the screeching of the Ghasts behind him. Multiple explosions followed his path, and Simon thought dismally about the perfect path being destroyed.

After running for over five minutes, Simon could clearly see his way out. The Ghasts had not let up yet, and were still attacking furiously. They had no intention of letting the teen leave the Nether.

_30 feet… _Simon began to feel lightheaded and tried to keep up his pace, but was slowing down.

_20 feet… _He couldn't die. Not now.

_10 feet…_ A Ghast fired a final shot and it exploded beneath Simon's feet, which launched him forwards, headfirst into the portal.

Simon landed hard in the cave, spitting ash and coughing smoke. He had made it out. He knew where the Ghast spawner was.


End file.
